Here We Go Again
by xXBeckyFoo
Summary: The Next Generation has survived tragedies and enjoyed happiness during their first years at Hogwarts. Now older, smarter, and more united, their bonds are tested as life keeps getting harder. Everything starts to get challenged when emotions change, when new people arrive, and when evil decides to play with them. Sequel to 'Leave Out All the Rest'.
1. The Beginning

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 1: **The Beginning

**POV: **Third Person

"No!" An elderly redheaded woman pointed her wand at two gardeners, making their eyes widen with worry at the threatening position they found themselves in. "Absolutely not. March right out of here! On you go!"

The youngest of the two, who was clearly stupid enough to not know that you never defy an older woman's orders, stepped closer to her; looking determined and unmoved. "Mrs. Weasley," he began, "we were told—"

"The nerve of you, boy!" Looking thoroughly outraged that the young gardener had attempted to lower her menacing wand-point, Mrs. Weasley shoved him back a step with said wand-point. "Do as you're told before I curse you badly that your mother won't recognize you!"

"—Gran!" Emerging from his room into the living room, looking just as handsome as always, even in his messy and wrinkled sleep-wear, Louis Weasley was right on time to spare an innocent life. "Dad told you to stop threatening the workers. He can't afford to hire others at the moment."

And as her blonde grandson gave the two gardeners an apologizing look, Mrs. Weasley frowned deeper. She lowered her wand a few centimeters. "Did your mother, or did she not, order twenty dozen roses?"

"Yes—"

"_Aha_!" And as quickly as she'd lowered her wand, Mrs. Weasley shot it back up and pointed it at the men.

"But then Mum changed the order to twenty dozen sunflowers!" Louis interjected quickly.

"Why on Merlin's earth did no one tell me about the change?"

Louis had plenty of reasons to tell his grandmother of why his mother hadn't involved her in the decor plans, but he decided to keep his mouth shut and keep his comments to himself. He did value his life. And because he did, he just gave her a sheepish smile and a shrug. (Yeah, that ought to work. Everyone fell for his charm.)

Lifting her head higher, Mrs. Weasley looked at the two gardeners like nothing had happened. "Well?" She motioned with her wand for them to proceed. "On you go. Come on. Quickly!"

Shaking his head, Louis accompanied the two workers towards their destination; all three of them skidding by the elder redhead with care as she started heading towards the kitchen.

"—No, Ronald." Exiting one of the rooms nearby, Hermione Weasley was followed by her husband. Her usual brown curls were silky straight, flowing down her shoulders; her big brown eyes were painted a very light lilac, accentuating the flecks of gold in them; and she was wearing a very well-fitted plum-colored dress.

"But, Hermione," Ron complained as he eyed her carefully. She was looking especially beautiful and just other married-couple-related words to him.

Hermione shook her head, looking determined. "I don't think Bill will appreciate it if we were to violate his house while everyone else is busy." She pulled the bust-line of her dress higher towards her collarbones. "Now if you please, do go and find Harry."

"Who cares about Bill!" Ron continued to protest. "There's a closet in the hallway—"

"Molly!" Hermione called loudly, so child-like.

Ron knitted his brows. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to tell your mother you can't behave like an adult instead of a hormonal boy, Ronald," his wife informed, spinning on her high-heels and headed off to the kitchen where she knew her mother-in-law was overseeing the food preparations.

He hurried after her, face flaming red. "It's not true, Mummy! She's lying!"

"—Are you sure about this?" Sneaking his way into the house, little Artie Weasley, who had recently turned twelve, looked cautiously at his older cousin. "Completely sure?"

Putting an arm around the boy's shoulders, Freddie looked at him seriously. "Come on now, lad," he said in a tone that suggested the offense. "Do you really think I'd pull a prank on you? No way. You're now the legacy, Artie. I'm teaching you tradition here!"

The small boy still looked unconvinced. "I don't know, Fred," he mumbled, twirling the package in his hands with a contemplating look. "My mum's getting carried away with the punishments now. She had me cleaning the attic all summer. Do you even know how many of Dad's old rubbish essays I read to keep myself entertained? Plenty! Enough that I can give pointers to the Headmistress on how to improve Hogwarts' rule-breaking."

Freddie clucked his tongue. "It's just a couple of firecrackers, Artie," he tugged on the boy's arm and started leading him down the hall. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Muggle or magical?" Artie asked as he took out a muggle-lighter he'd stolen from his Aunt Hermione.

Freddie grinned mischievously as he motioned the boy to enter Louis' room. "Both," and he laughed evilly as he shut the door behind him and Artie ripped open the package from Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

_BAM!_

"Mmm. Al, okay, stop. Stop!" Stumbling her way out of a closet, Nia Harper looked around to make sure the coast was clear as she started patting her blonde hair; fixing the haywire strands that would give her away. "Do you think they heard us?"

At the whisper his girlfriend—of almost four months now—gave, Al Potter chuckled as he adjusted his button-up shirt. "Doubt it. I placed the Silencing Charm on it."

"You've been practicing. I'm proud," Nia said casually with a smirk as she helped him fix himself up. "Though, I've got to admit the circumstance makes me feel more guilty than anything."

Al ignored the last bit as he played with the straps of her yellow dress. "I've hadn't noticed that you look immensely beautiful in this dress—especially since it's inside-out." He pulled at the tag that was sticking out.

"For fuck sakes!" Stomping once on the floor, Nia turned back and headed to the closet; pulling her dress over her head.

"I'll help you," Al offered automatically. He punched the air with his fist, a huge, smug grin on his face as he pulled out his wand from his pocket. Not a second later, the Silencing Charm was reinforced on the little closet.

And without expecting it, Nia let out a giant squeal as Al jumped on her and the door locked behind him.

"—You're not wearing that!"

Strutting their way through the backdoor of Shell Cottage, both looking beyond irritated and on the verge of spilling colorful curses, Lily Potter and her cousin Roxanne Weasley attempted to ignore the protests following them.

"I don't see what's wrong with it," a different voice spoke.

"Everything is wrong with it!" James Potter continued to hiss. He reached Lily, and gripped her arm and spun her to face him. "The entire world is going to be able to see your knickers if you bend! And I don't want some slimy gets talking about how they've seen your backsides!"

Roxy snickered. "Backsides. That's rich, James."

Lily rolled her eyes, pulling back her arm away from her brother's hold. She fixed her yellow dress, and then turned to glare at him. "Leave us alone. We care not for your opinion."

Knowing that his little sister could curse his manly-bits off, because that's what she was always aiming to hex off, James turned to the two behind him. "Well?" He snapped. "Do something!"

Liam Greengrass and Lucas Zabini, both dressed in the finest dress-robes, one slick black and the other a charcoal-grey, stared at their respective girlfriends and inspected their dresses. They noticed the tightest part of the dresses, and where the fabric ended to expose their toned legs and feet strapped in heels.

Sending a wink towards Roxanne, Zabini just sighed heavenly. He still didn't see anything wrong with the dress.

"Oi!" And noticing the boys' lingering gazes, James punched both on their arms.

Liam cleared his throat, a flush to his cheeks, and he looked down to his shoes. Lily was a sight to see, and he was sure he was the luckiest boy in the world for having such beauty beside him. And because he thought that about the Potters youngest, he felt complied to dissimulate his longing for her.

"Honestly," Lily muttered harshly, a frown creasing her forehead at her boyfriend's cower away from her brother. She turned to Roxanne and grabbed one of her hands, leading her towards the staircase.

"You better be going to change that dress, Lily!"

The redhead snorted at her brother's shout. "We're going to Dominique's room. And unless you don't want to get hexed, don't follow us!"

Shaking his shoulders to try and push out all of his misbehaved thoughts, Zabini patted James lightly on his back. "Ease up, mate. It's really not that bad."

But before James could tell the dark-skinned boy to shove off, there was a shout coming from the kitchen followed by loud stomps.

"Leave me alone, George!"

"I will once you've got some sense about you, Ginevra!" Frowning at his only sister, George Weasley followed after her. "Look at what you're wearing!"

Spinning on her heels, Ginny stared her brother down with the famous Weasley women glare. She put her hands on her hips, creasing the material of her burgundy dress. "I'm not ten anymore, you idiot," she snapped at him. "So piss off!" And like the very mature woman she was, she aimed a kick to her brother's shin and stuck her tongue out at him before heading towards the backdoor of Shell Cottage.

Cursing, George hopped his way back towards the kitchen. James shook his head at it all. Something was definitely wrong with the girls in this family. Where they all trying to give everyone a heart attack with such short dresses? It was a good thing Great Auntie Muriel had been dead for a few years now, or else the old bat would've disciplined all of them for such distasteful attire.

"Come on. It's almost time," James called Greengrass and Zabini; motioning for both of them to follow him back out of Shell Cottage.

And as the three boys went, no one was around when the distinctive sound of apparition sounded off the walls of the cottage.

"Easy there, Weasley." Steadying the redheaded girl that somehow had gotten stuck in his group, Draco Malfoy hesitantly patted her back to give her some comfort.

Rose was slightly bent on her knees, heaving as the dizziness was barely washing away once her feet touched solid ground. "I know why Dad prefers the Floo," she puffed out in a hushed tone.

Draco made an ungraceful facial expression at the mention of the Weasel. "Your idiot father can't stop splinching himself. That's the only reason why he won't apparate."

Stepping away from his mother, whom he had apparated with, Scorpius frowned at his father disapprovingly. "Father," he began in that parental tone. He reached Rose's arm, and gently rubbed little circles to give her more reassurance. "Don't you reckon it's too early to be insulting Mister Weasley?"

Mister Malfoy snorted. "Rose, have I insulted your father?"

"No," the redhead breathed. "You just pointed out his incompetence."

Not catching the sarcasm the Weasley girl was giving him, Draco smirked in his arrogant and superior way.

Shaking her head at her husband, Astoria Malfoy turned behind her towards the open backdoor. And as she inspected the commotion outside, she spotted a redheaded woman in a burgundy dress. "I see Ginny," she spoke. "I think we should go assist, don't you?"

But as Mrs. Malfoy took the box wrapped in silver wrappings from her son's hands, no one really followed her out as she made her way outside.

"You're alright, Rose," Scorpius whispered gently to his girlfriend. He brushed aside a few flyaway curls from her face. And at the exposed forehead, he pressed his lips softly there. "I promise we'll Floo from now on. I don't want my girlfriend splinching herself; especially if it's in her genetic coding."

Rose slapped Scorpius' chest roughly. "Do you honestly have to be such a git right—" The rest of her comment, per usual, was cut off when the blonde Malfoy boy chuckled mockingly and then captured her lips with his.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Stepping out of the kitchen because he had heard an unpleasant voice, Ron was right on time to see the blonde boy kissing his precious daughter.

Draco grimaced at them and turned to his childhood nemesis.

"Firewhiskey?" Ron asked automatically at Malfoy.

"And lots of it," Draco agreed, marching towards the kitchen and conjuring two shot-glasses from two sickles in his pockets.

Pulling away from her boyfriend, Rose was not wearing an expression that suggested she had just kissed the love of her life, but rather she was wearing her mother's parental scowl. "Dad," she called. "Mum told you you weren't allowed to drink anymore!"

"Leave him, Rose. Maybe he'll start singing those folk songs again. And you know how much those amuse me," Scorpius laughed as the redhead dragged him towards the kitchen.

"—I'm fat."

"You're not fat."

"I am!" As she reached the final step of the staircase and touched the living room floor, Dominique turned to all the girls behind her and pointed at the fabric of her yellow dress. "Look at me, damn it! I look like a fucking wheel of cheese!"

Emily Taylor laughed gently, swiftly walking over to the older girl. "You look radiant, Dom," she assured. "So, please, stop fidgeting."

Leaning into the Americana's comforting one-armed hug, Dominique frowned at the other girls. "Who's brilliant idea was it to dress us all up in yellow?"

One by one, all girls looked over to a silent redhead who'd just appeared back into her family's life two months ago: Molly Weasley II.

"Hey," she frowned at them. "It was just a suggestion. I didn't think they would take me seriously!"

Dominique shook her head at her favorite cousin. "Well, you should've known better, Molls! You've been M.I.A for ages, you know they would've been happy if you suggested we all be nude!"

"You're pregnant, Dominique," Lily cut in before Molly could retort. "You're expected to feel _and _get huge."

Roxanne and Lucy stepped away from their cousin; away from the danger zone as soon as Lily had said words that should've never been voiced.

"So now I'm huge?" The pregnant girl shouted back. There were uncharacteristic tears glazing her emerald eyes. (She was just nothing but mood-swings lately.) "I don't want to be here now! I'm a cow; look at me!"

Not really feeling bad for her cousin's tears, Lily leered. "Moo."

"Lily—" Stepping out of the kitchen, carrying a tray while two others floated behind her, Angelina Weasley was ready to scold her niece. "How many times do we have to tell you not to aggravate Dominique?" And before she passed all of them completely, Angelina added towards her daughter, "The safe-zone is two feet away, Roxy. You don't want another black-eye, do you?"

"Ooh! Are those mince pies?" Dominique wiped her two-second tears, following after her aunt and the food she was taking outside.

The rest of the girls shared a skeptical look, but followed after her anyway.

_Crack._

Apparating in the living room of Shell Cottage, Teddy Lupin looked around and found no one. And because he wasn't bombarded by redheads, he felt worry crawl up his spine.

He pulled back the sleeve of his dress-robes, exposing a silver watch he'd received on his seventeenth birthday from his adoptive parents. "Holy hell! I'm late!" And as he covered the screen of the watch with his sleeve again, he felt nausea now creating bile in his throat. If he was late to this thing, Fleur was going to unleash herself upon him with all of her French wrath! And by that he meant that he was sure the woman was going to chop him into pieces and then feed him to the Burrow's chickens!

"_Mum_!" Teddy shouted in hysterics, bolting towards the open backdoor that led out to the gardens of Shell Cottage.

"—Out the door, kids!" Standing on the outside of the entrance to the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley motioned everyone inside it to exit out hurriedly. "We're behind schedule. Move!"

Racing out of the door first was Ron. "Grab the Firewhiskey, Malfoy!" He reminded the blonde man as he held the shot-glasses.

"Charming that they're friends now, right?" Harry Potter smirked, glancing at his best friend as she had an arm laced through his and they headed towards the garden together.

Hermione threw daggers at the retreating figures of her husband and Malfoy. "Yes, of course. It's so charming to have Draco bloody Malfoy in our lives."

"You know you love the ferret," Harry laughed mockingly, earning him a pinch from Hermione and a shout from his mother-in-law as the latter pushed her husband Arthur, George, and Percy and Audrey out the backdoor.

With another _BAM _that resounded by the opening of a closet door, Nia and Al stumbled out of it once more.

"It's starting," Nia hissed, pushing her boyfriend away as she fixed her dress and her hair. "Your mother's going to murder us."

"I left my tie!"

"Forget about it!" Nia told him, gripping his arm before he stormed back towards the closet.

And as they both felt the sun-rays touch them, the wind brush by them, and the sound of crashing waves in their eardrums, Nia hurried towards the nearest bush and picked up the flowers she'd hidden there.

Back inside Shell Cottage, Bill Weasley peeked his head out of a gap of a bedroom door. He heard silence, and so he stepped out fully. He inhaled calmly. Finally, the moment of silence he'd been longing for.

And just as he was going to settle himself in the armchair in his living room, his lovely wife marched her way in from the garden. "Bill! What are you doing 'ere? Eet iz about to commence!"

Bill made no move to head towards her. Instead he remained on his stance, letting out a mumbled curse.

Fleur narrowed her glittering eyes at her husband. "Now, Bill!"

And with his wife's last order still echoing around him, Bill frowned angrily. "Bloody people in and out of my bloody home! What the hell do they—"

Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder caused by a pale finger. "Daddy?"

Bill turned and his angry gaze caught sight of his oldest daughter, Victoire.

"Are you alright, Daddy?" She asked him, a small, teasing smile on her face.

The man returned the smile, forgetting about his irritation as something else became the prominent feeling in his chest. "I'm just extremely nervous, sweetheart."

"_You're_ nervous?" Victoire laughed. "Oh, Daddy. Look at how I'm dressed! I look ridiculous. I don't even know why I listened to Molly. She's has the worse fashion sense."

Bill patted his daughter's cheek with his hand softly. "Now, Vic, you know Molly did an amazing job. You do look beautiful, honestly." He laced his arms through her slender one, and then he flexed tightly. "So, we're doing this together, alright? So I want a deep breath from you because here we go."

Slowly, father and daughter made their way down the path that led to the backdoor of their home. And as they approached closer and closer, every centimeter coming up fast, they could smell the grass, the flowers, and the mist of the sea surrounding the cliff were their beloved cottage sat.

"They're coming!" Someone shouted from the outside.

But before Victoire and Bill could enter the garden, they were shoved aside by Freddie and Artie. And as the two raced to their assigned seats, a firecracker that fell from Artie's pocket was squashed by Bill's foot as he proceeded.

As a gentle melody started to be played by a string of harps, Victoire peered up at her father. "You ready?" She asked in the tiniest murmur.

Bill's eyes glazed over with the pressure of threatening tears.

He was very much aware of all the smiling faces turned towards their direction. Many faces he recognized as family, friends, coworkers, and a few of guests that weren't his. This was the moment of truth, was it not? It was time for Bill to do this all over again, but in a different side and with a different ending that didn't belong to him.

And it was in that moment that he realized how quickly time flew past him.

Catching sight of Teddy standing alongside James, Al, and Louis, Bill felt a chuckle getting stuck in his throat. The boy looked far more nervous and terrified than what he'd felt when he was doing this. He stood shakily, the roots of his hair already gaining a hue of color from his anxiousness.

"I'll never be ready to let you go, darling," Bill said to his daughter in a quiet demeanor. "But I have to, don't I?"

Victoire just glanced at her father; tears welled up in her blue eyes.

Walking casually, Bill fixed a wrinkle on her wedding dress without looking at her. "It's the end now."

"No," Victoire whispered back, slowing down the pace on the white-fabric aisle in the middle of her mother's garden. And before she could say another word, she glanced up at the alter awaiting a few feet away.

She saw her sister, the maid of honor, much to her protests of there being a weight-limit on that title, standing with the other girls she'd chosen for brides maids. They all stood perfectly together, dressed in a tasteful yellow, and sunflowers held tightly in their hands.

A tear slipped out from the corner of her right eye as she saw Teddy waiting for her. He was all her future ready to be lived.

This was it, wasn't it? She was getting married. She was a few important minutes from becoming Victoire Lupin.

And right as she reached the end of the aisle now, she peered up at her father once more as he released her arm from his. She lifted herself on her toes, pressing a kiss to his scarred cheek. And before her father could direct one of her hands towards Teddy, she whispered to him, "It's just the beginning now."

* * *

**AN: Well, it is now July 6th 2012, a few years after I first wrote this sequel. And as of today, it's when I start re-editing this story. So if you're reading, I hope you have patience and enjoy the story as it is, or as it's being corrected. (:**


	2. Soldiers to Battle

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 2: **Soldiers to Battle**  
**

**POV: **Al**  
**

With a straight back, shoulders squared off just right, I inhaled loud and deep and with a profound sense of contentment. "Do you smell that?" I whispered like a child in awe.

But clearly not catching my fascination, probably not seeing what I was seeing, Lily made a loud sound. "That's disgusting, Albus!" She pinched her nose, looking thoroughly nauseated.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes while I was at it. "I meant if you could sense the atmosphere."

Blinking, zoning everything out for a second, I focused my attention back on the entire landscape that was Platform 9 ¾. I was starting my Sixth Year, but every time I crossed the barrier between platforms nine and ten, there was always a trickle up my spine of excitement and anticipation; like I was a First Year all over again. There was just something wicked about the magnitude of people; something quite satisfying of watching students push their trolleys with all their belongings, down from their trunks to their pets; even memories from home that were personal and unseen.

Most of them, the students, seemed to mirror my expression of happiness, of relief to finally get back to Hogwarts to start a new year of adventures and memories.

"Oh, whatever," I finally heard my sister speak as our mother absentmindedly straightened out the wrinkles of her blouse. "You're still a sick individual."

I looked down at her with a casual smirk. "What makes you say that, dearest little sister?" I patted her red hair like she was a dog; even scratching behind her ear to add to her irritation.

With flaming cheeks, Lily shoved my hand away, aiming a punch to my chest, and then proceeding to push Mum's orderly fingers as they still continued to tug at her blouse. "First of all, Albus Severus," she snapped at me, "I'm not little. I'm a bloody Fourth Year now, and about to turn fifteen in a few weeks. Secondly, pat me one more time and you'll lose those fingers. Understood?"

I saluted her.

"Third of all," she continued, narrowing her brown eyes into slits at the amusement I was having over all of this, "you're a sick little boy because we are all perfectly aware of what you and Harper were up to at the wedding."

No longer smirking, my eyes narrowed in return and I felt myself turning red from embarrassment.

And adding to my mortification, Mum decided to take out those earphone things that Emily had given her for Christmas the year before at the exact time that Uncle George, his two children, and my dad approached us.

It was Lily's turn to leer. "Have nothing to say do you, Al? Not even about the fact that you were a very sloppy, sweaty groomsmen and that your annoying girlfriend looked just about the same."

"You noticed that too?" Catching just about everything my dearest sister intended to get out, Roxy skipped the greetings to get into the rumours. "She looked completely exhausted and put-out."

"Oh, she was exhausted alright." Snickering like an eleven year-old witch, Freddie gave me a rough smack on the back. "Quite the little stallion, aren't you, cousin?"

My mortification grew, and my mum's eyes did too. She looked completely outraged at the not-so-discreet comment my cousin had let out.

Groaning on the inside, I gave my mum an innocent wave of the hand; trying to smooth everything over before she murdered me. "You stupid fucker," I murmured towards Freddie, elbowing him roughly on the ribs. "I thought Aunt Angelina put you under a strong Silencing Charm to last an entire week?"

My cousin snorted, clearly not seeing my annoyance with him as he tossed an arm around my shoulder. "Come off it, little Al. I'm a Seventh Year now! I know the counter spells to almost everything now. Mum can't keep me hushed up any longer. I am an independent man! I do whatever the bloody hell I—"

"Don't forget your lunch, Fred." Finishing up his silent conversation with my dad, Uncle George marched up to us and handed his eldest a brown-paper bag. "And remember, your mother told you no more sweets. She doesn't want to see any more cavities when she takes you to that tooth Healer muggle." (Well, at least he stopped referring to Aunt Hermione's dentist as Denise.)

"Where's my straw?" Freddie snapped as he looked up from searching the bag. "Mum knows I don't like drinking straight from the carton! And what's this, anyway? Where's my chocolate milk!"

Uncle George looked slightly ashamed for his son.

And just as Freddie was about to question why we were all staring at him like he was a lost cause, there was a call from a few yards away that was no doubt directed at us. (No one else had the lack of manners to make a giant spectacle.) A small group of students, all familiar faces, rolled their trolleys in our direction.

"Where the hell is Percy?" Mum asked them, obviously noticing the lack of adult supervision. "He was supposed to bring you lot to us almost forty minutes ago."

"Dad got lost," Artie was the first to reply, standing on the bar of the trolley after he raced a few steps and let it roll on its own. "Someone let a pack of murderous canaries loose by the barrier and he was the only capable Ministry Official to handle the situation."

A few feet away from Uncle Percy's son, Louis was sporting a gigantic grin. "It was a complete riot."

Mum raise an eyebrow at her blonde nephew. "Birds caused a riot?"

"They were spitting fire." In the middle of Louis and James, Emily spoke up with her soft tone. "Burned a couple of First Years' pants right off."

At the mention of fire and the harm towards innocents, not to mention the tell-tale leers of Louis, James and Freddie, Mum turned her angry eyes towards her brother. And right as she did, she caught Uncle George waving his arms in the air to try and silence Emily from saying anything more. "_Fire_?" Mum hissed. "First the firecrackers that interrupted Teddy's wedding, now birds that spit fire? George, you're a step away from having the Ministry shut down the shop, you reckless idiot!"

Her brother snorted. "They couldn't shut me down even if they wanted. Besides, don't you think my brilliant creativity suffers enough? Percy lectures me all the time! You can't imagine the rubbish he's been storing for the past twenty-fives years for me."

Not looking at all sympathetic for her brother, Mum's ears turned as red as her hair as her anger took over her entire body. She had opened her mouth, about to retort and tell him where he could stuff his creativity, but my ears buzzed her out when my eyes caught sight of a dazzling blonde straight ahead of my group.

She was an alluring sight as always; always with the power to take my breath away no matter how far or how close she was. Her blonde hair gleamed gold from the sun rays that had graced the morning, falling down as loose waves down her back. Her face was flawless, rosy cheeks, bewitching blue eyes and all.

And usually upon seeing such beauty my heart would do a release of puppy-love emotions—except my chest and blood was filled with fast-brewing anger instead of happiness.

She was talking to Lorcan Scamander without a damn care in the world. She had forgotten all about her trolley as she gravitated a little closer to him, a hand on his shoulder as she tossed her head back and laughed like Scamander had just told the funniest story. (Which had to be complete rubbish. I've talked to Scamander; he's as funny as Aunt Hermione or Uncle Percy.)

Everyone in Hogwarts knew that Nia and I were in a relationship now, since we did not keep the P.D.A under reserve, and I valued the fact that Scamander had kept his distance from my girlfriend. Well, that was almost four months ago. Now it seemed like the Ravenclaw had taken it upon himself to become her best friend, and he treated her like a princess.

I was and obviously am _not _pleased about this. It was jealousy, and perhaps a bit of worry, every time I saw them interact. Lorcan had her for a bit, whether she thinks that he had accepted the fact that she had feelings only for me in that time. Buy boys will be boys, and I didn't trust the always charming git.

As my mind plagued me with evil thoughts, subconsciously working on the nonverbal methods Aunt Hermione tried to teach me in the summer to see if I could aim a hex at him, Nia went in for a hug and quickly pulled away before he even got the chance to hug her back. She took her trolley and proceeded on her way towards me.

And as she was doing so, her enchanting blue eyes finally finding my aggravated green ones, the rustling sound of the Hogwarts Express echoed around the platform.

"Time to go," Dad called loudly.

At the affirmation that we were about less than ten minutes from departing, I heard Mum begin her lectures. "You better behave yourself, James Sirius Potter. This is your last year, and I expect you to graduate."

James snorted, and Emily elbowed him lightly. "Don't worry, Mrs. Potter," she said gently, "I'll make sure he studies for his N.E.W.T's."

Mum nodded gratefully at the girl. But before one could come up with the conclusion that she was about to smile, she narrowed her eyes at her nephews. "Same goes for both of you," she warned Louis and Freddie. "I may not be your mother, but don't you dare cross me if either of you don't complete your final year with flying colors."

Knowing a lot better than my brother, Louis and Freddie nodded their heads obediently.

"And as for you, Artie—"

"I know, I know," the new Second Year sighed tiredly. "Keep acting the way I'm acting and I'll end up being Peeve's best friend." And with a casual wave of his hand, he didn't bother to say a farewell to the adults as he shoved his trolley forward and rode it towards the direction of the train.

"Alright, time to say our quick goodbyes." Lily turned to our parents with a slightly annoyed face. "Liam's already on the train with Rose, Scorpius, and Zabini."

At her bitter tone, I was thankful I was distracted when that blonde from ahead had finally caught up with me.

She smiled largely at me. I gave her a frown.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

"What were you doing with Scamander, Nia?" I said in a murmur, trying not to get the others to overhear me. "You were supposed to meet me here almost an hour ago."

That rare, enchanting smile on Nia Harper's face disappeared as her attitude took up her beautiful features. "We agreed to meet _on _the train," she informed me coldly. "And I was invited to Lorcan's home for breakfast this morning at Luna's request. I couldn't reject her offer, could I?"

Her comment really was not helping my irritation. "I'm sure Lorcan enjoyed your company."

"Al," she said in a half-warning and half-careful tone. "Lucy, your cousin, was there too. I wasn't on my own with Lorcan. We came with him and Lysander, but Lysander went off to find his girlfriend and Lucy stayed to help her dad with the killer birds."

Releasing the hand I wasn't aware I had squeezed into a fist, I nodded once. "Fine," I said. "I believe you."

"You believe me?" She rose an eyebrow at me, no longer looking like she wanted to be understanding.

Fuck. "I'm sorry," I added quickly, knowing that despite my jealously and my supposedly justified anger I was adding fuel to a speck of fire. "It's just...I know he still fancies you, Nia. I don't like it."

Inhaling deeply, a practice method she'd taken the habit of doing every time she was trying to be as nice as she could manage without sounding harsh, Nia tugged a small smile. "It's not like that anymore, Al," she muttered, walking a little closer to me and putting both her hands on either one of my shoulders. "And you know that I always saw Lorcan as my friend. Besides, your mine. Why would I want anyone else?"

I snaked my arms around her tight waist. "I believe you." I smirked at her. And just as she was about to smack me beside the head, I went in for the kill and captured her lips with mine.

Her hands went from my shoulders to wrapping around my neck, pulling me closer. I had been extremely excited for going to Hogwarts, loving the sight of Platform 9¾, but when she was around the background disappeared. Cheesy and all that rubbish, but she really was everything I saw.

She snaked her fingers into my dark hair, about to tug at the end in that way she liked, and I had pressed myself closer to her—but we were quickly torn apart.

"You two," Mum's voice pierced my ears as her fingers pinched my arm, something she was doing to Nia too. "Both of you better refrain yourselves from degrading your reputation. If I get one single notice that you two were caught in a broomstick closet at Hogwarts, I'll pull you right out of school and send you to Durmstrang, Albus." She pinched harder and then her brown eyes turned to my girlfriend. "And I'll write to your parents about your little adventure before the wedding commenced, understood?"

Blushing furiously, Nia nodded and glanced down at her feet with embarrassment. "Yes, Mrs. Potter."

I rolled my eyes; an action not gone unnoticed by my mother.

"Harry will put your trunks in the train, all of you get moving to find a compartment." After her order, my mother walked over to me; catching me in her farewell embrace first. "If she ends up pregnant, Albus, I will neuter you like a common dog." I widened my eyes, feeling so outraged and violated. She smiled, pulling away from me and looking at me with fake nostalgic eyes. "Have a wonderful term, dear. I'll see you soon."

Feeling still very intimidated by my mother's threat, I barely even registered when Nia took a hold of one of my hands and started leading me towards the train. I could hear the faraway goodbyes Dad called out to me, or the others bids of farewell were giving to the adults behind.

"She's mental," I told Nia as she dragged me into the train faster as it was already whistling and signaling its departure. "She threatened my manly-bits!"

My girlfriend scoffed. "Your sister will pay for her little indiscretions." I turned to her, about to ask her how she knew, but she answered before I could. "Rose told me Lily's been insinuating to your family that you and I've...well, you know. It almost gave Liam a heart attack when he heard it."

I laughed at that.

She smacked my arm, but laughed lightly at it too. "Well, maybe..."

"Maybe what?" I questioned as she scouted for an open compartment.

And like she was the luckiest person ever, she reached for the handle of a compartment on the left side and turned to grin at me suggestively. "How scared are you of your mother?"

"Absolutely terrified," I responded without a doubt. "Why?"

She nodded towards the door; winking at me.

"On the train?" I asked in a wild whisper. "Nia, there's prefects running around the train inspecting the compartments. They'll report us!"

"I've gotten good at the Repealing Charm. Besides, don't you have that Invisibility Cloak?" Her beautiful mouth was tugged into a smug smirk and she pushed open the door of the compartment. "Think about it as a celebration upon our return to Hogwarts."

She couldn't be serious, could she? Hadn't I just told her my mother threatened to have someone chop of my soldiers if she was informed I sent them off to battle? Didn't she realize that people were going to be marching up and down the aisle outside our compartment?

She motioned me over towards her with her finger, stepping slowly into the compartment.

I gulped, but marched right into her with a loud cheer. "To Hogwarts!"


	3. Of Anonymous Flowers

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 3: **Of Anonymous Flowers**  
**

**POV: **Rose**  
**

"Rose!"

Abruptly opening my eyes as I heard a loud _bang_, thundering footsteps, and felt a pair of hands shaking me by my shoulders violently, my beautiful and sweet dream was ripped away from me before I was allowed to frolic down a a great, grassy hill.

And because I was running down that hill with a document that proclaimed me the next Minister of Magic, and now I was never going to be able to know what my first order of business was, I shoved the hands away from me as a grew irritated. "What?" I snapped.

Emerald eyes blinked at me sweetly. "Oh, good. You're awake."

"Of course I am," my tone was as sarcastic as it was going to get. "I've been up for the past hour just waiting for someone to come and assault me. It's how I start my mornings, you know? Thank you."

Laughing softly, Emily smiled. "After years of sharing a dormitory with you, I'm just finding out that you're not a morning person?"

"Get it from my dad," I tell her, stretching my arms and legs. And after I did that, yawned, and welcomed the morning that was so rudely handed to me, I turned to the American and gave her a friendly smile. "Now, what can I—"

Before I could ask the question, I was given the answer when the door of my dormitory banged open again. In came James cradling a girl in his arms; she was practically sagging in his hold, giving the illusion that she was passed out. The only reason why I knew that girl was conscious was by the sound of her heavy heaving, and her mumbled groans of pain.

I kicked off the sheets of my bed and stood instantly. "Merlin, Nia! What happened?"

"Apparently she's been sick since yesterday night," Emily was the one to speak as the blonde girl in my cousin's arms could not form a coherent word. "I went to the girls lavatory on the floor below us and I found her clinging onto the toilet. She's vomited everything."

"And my girlfriend, being the amazing person that she is, brought her back to save her life," James added in casually. He took a few steps closer to the dark-haired witch, and leaned in to peck her on the lips.

Nia let out a giant groan. She started pushing Emily away from James, and at the same time she tried kicking the boy as he had her trapped in the middle of their bodies. "Stop...stop," she whined.

Shaking my head at James' rudeness and uncaring nature for the ill girl he was carrying, I marched right over and took her from him. And since I wasn't much for upper-body strength, I had to set her on the nearest four-poster before we both collapsed and I gave her a concussion.

"How did you even get up here, James?" I frowned at my cousin as he continued to try and kiss Emily. "You do remember that the Headmistress enforced the dormitory rules more strictly than ever since Dominique got pregnant?"

As his girlfriend smacked him on the chest for his sneaky way of trying to get a good snog while our best friend was looking halfway dead on the bed, James gave up and just threw an arm over her shoulders and reeled her into his side. "Oh, Rose; my naive cousin. Do you really think that silly slip-and-slide method to keep boys out of the girl dormitories actually works? _Please_. I'm James Sirius Potter. Besides, I don't care about McGonagall's rules. I'd risk expulsion for my beautiful girlfriend."

"Oh, shut up." Breathing heavily, clutching on to her stomach like she was afraid it would run from her, Nia managed to find some strength to snap at my cousin. "You threatened whoever was in the common room not to tell McGonagall about your trip up here, you idiot."

James glared at the blonde. "Not even because you've been vomiting up your guts do you stop being a bitch, do you, Harper? No wonder I stopped dating you!"

Emily and I rolled our eyes, meanwhile Nia sent my cousin a gesture that told him to go to hell and stay there. We were all very aware that she and James never dated last year; it had just been a pity hang out to Hogsmeade that resulted in James proclaiming his love for Emily and Nia sulking about for Albus.

"Be nice, James," his girlfriend scolded him.

But as much as James loved to be a complete git, he paid Emily no mind as he pulled on a massive leer that showed his glint of evilness. "I wonder why you're sick, Harper," he spoke nonchalantly. "It couldn't possibly be the elf-made food. We've been eating their food for years and it's never gotten anyone sick." He snapped his fingers; looking like he just realized something. "Maybe you and little Al have been violating too many closets and now you two are following Dominique's path. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if you popped out a baby at the end of term."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if I popped your head off!" Nia mastered some energy to get up from the bed—but then she lost it and quickly sagged down to the dormitory's floor.

"Ignore James, Nia," I told her soothingly as Emily and I went immediately to help her off the ground. "Maybe you just ate too much at yesterday's feast. But don't worry; I've got a vial of Pepper Up Potion. You'll be good as new."

"Great. Now I'm fat," Nia muttered darkly. James laughed mockingly.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

At the loud pecking echoing around the room, James' eyes open wide and he launched himself towards the only dark-haired witch in the room. He embraced her tightly, providing a shelter with his arms as he scouted the premises.

I rolled my eyes. "It's an owl, James, not a bloody explosion."

As I moved towards the window of the dormitory, opening it and allowing a brownish, barn owl to enter with a delivery in its beak, James laughed in puffs. "I knew that," he said offhandedly, smiling sheepishly as Emily narrowed her eyes at him. He cleared his throat, "come, Emily. Let's go to breakfast before Harper drinks that potion and she goes and scarfs all the food down."

"For me?" I whispered down to the owl, forgetting the background as it extended a red rose attached to its leg. He also dropped the note in its beak in my hand; which held no name.

The small owl nodded its head smartly.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I inhaled the scent of the rose. I giggled a little to myself and proceeded to open the little note.

_As always, you take my breath away._

_Again and again I am captivated by your beauty._

"Well, well, well—" The parchment was ripped away from my fingers before I could feel the butterflies by the effect of those written words. "Malfoy is not going to be pleased about this. His girlfriend is receiving anonymous love-letters!" James flapped the paper in the air, flashing it about like he had a giant audience. As the girls frowned at him, he turned back to me and leered. "Have you been giving Lysander Scamander hopes again, Rose?"

I jumped up and snatched the note from him. "Of course not, you idiot!" I punched his chest; just the way Dad taught me. "And it's not from Lysander! He's dating Alice Longbottom! It's obviously from Scorpius, my _boyfriend_."

James scoffed. "Alright, Rose; believe what you want. All I'm saying is that I'm a boy—"

"A cheap excuse for one,"

"—and I know how boys think," James finished, ignoring my comment. "Scamander was a little too chatty with you yesterday night. I heard him say he missed you over the summer holidays."

"He told me he missed me too," Emily piped in, frowning at her boyfriend. "Does that mean he wants me too?"

James frowned back at her. "I'll kill him!"

"Be serious for a moment, James." I brought back his focus to me. "Are you telling me the truth? Because I'd feel completely awful if it was."

"Why would Malfoy send you something and not sign it? He's the conceited type, your boyfriend. He would've made sure we all knew he was showering you with gifts." James inquired. "If you doubt me, inspect your rose for Nargles." He laughed loudly, pulling on Emily's sleeve, and lead her out of the dormitory without a look back.

There went my bubbly feeling. Doubt was now met when I looked down at the rose between my fingertips.

"Do you think it's true?" I glanced towards my blonde friend, feeling disappointed already. James had a point. If it was from Scorpius, why would he not sign it? He always did make sure I was there to open the little trinkets he got me, no matter how much I insisted for him not to.

Turning over on her back, Nia frowned at me from underneath her lashes. Her face was paler, and her blue eyes rimmed red. "Do you think I can have that potion now? I'm dying here!"

**X**

The first day back to Hogwarts was going along excellent, lesson wise of course. Like my mother, I didn't understand why my fellow classmates complained about the coursework and curriculum handed to us on the first days of a new term. Sure, along the years it starts adding up a bit, but it's thrilling! All these subjects are absolutely fantastic. Who wouldn't want to be so privileged to get into Advanced Arithmancy or N.E.W.T level Ancient Runes?

Of course the answer to that was all of my cousins and friends. They just didn't appreciate the beauty in enhancing your knowledge. Sure, most don't have a need for Arithmancy, unless they're studying to be Curse Breakers, but still! To learn about the magical properties in numbers, how to break them down to compose another new format is amazing and rewarding.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

"I hate this." Lifting his head after banging it on the surface of our library table several times, Louis gave me the most tortured look. "Why would they add Ancient Runes for the N.E.W.T exams! Why?" He lowered his head and proceeded to bang it once more.

I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed now. "Honestly, Louis, behave yourself like a proper seventeen year-old. Madam Pince is going to kick you out and this is the only time I have to help you. So pick up your head, open your book, and read it."

"Aside from making me lose my gorgeous hair do to the amount of ridiculous stress with their ridiculous lessons, I am subjected to humiliations." Louis glanced up at me, those blue eyes of his that reminded me so much of Aunt Fleur narrowed in distaste. "You're fucking _younger _than me, for Merlin's fucking beard! Yet you're in my Seventh Year class, and the professor asked you to tutor me! On the first bloody day!"

"For goodness sake, Louis, speak properly." I scolded him before I could stop it. Through his annoyance, he managed a nasty smirk at my Hermione-tone, as they liked to call it. The bastards. "Look, you just had a bit of trouble with Arithmancy last year. There's nothing that can't be fixed. Give it about two months and you won't need me anymore."

He dropped his head again.

"Honestly," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

But quickly saved, thanks to whoever was watching over me before I could curse my blonde cousin into an early death, two other blondes marched up right to my table. One was a fellow Gryffindor and the other was a Ravenclaw; both in my year. They were laughing amongst each other happily, giant smiles on their faces, and a little unaware that they had entered my zone.

I cleared my throat; making myself noticed.

"Oh. Hey, Rose." Nia managed to spare some time from her chitter-chatter with the boy next to her to smile at me. She was back to her unbelievable gorgeous self. There wasn't a single sign of her having been puking over a toilet just this morning. She was glowing as usual.

I nodded calmly at her. "Nia," I said. "Lorcan."

At my acknowledgment, Lorcan Scamander flashed me a toothy grin. He looked equally as glowing as Nia, but his was a little _too _sappy for my tastes. I knew that Lorcan has had a crush on our fellow Gryffindor since First Year, but it was a bit...sad to watch him pine over Nia who was head over heels for Al. And though I respected Nia for keeping her friendship with Lorcan after her and my cousin went into a relationship, I wasn't sure if it was the best idea; seeing as the boy's feelings were definitely still there.

The Ravenclaw was definitely a good catch, less loony than his brother, but still. That glimmer in his eye, that flush to his cheeks, that grin on his mouth was a signal of a boy who fancied a girl. (This was not going to go well for him, I just know it.)

"What have you two been doing since our release from Charms class?" I asked them, eyeing both of them carefully.

Nia shrugged as she pulled out a chair from the table. "Lorcan and I went to practice a few of our enchantments, but we got kicked to the curb after ten minutes."

"Technically, _you _got kicked to the curb and I followed you out," Lorcan added in, also taking a chair and plopping himself right next to the blonde girl. "You cursed Finnegan and gave him a pig's tail, remember?"

My friend snorted. "Well, he was acting like a proper pig, wasn't he? That poor Hufflepuff girl was just picking up her wand and he took a peek under her skirt! He deserved it."

"Always the defender." Lorcan chuckled.

I meet Nia's eyes as soon as Lorcan found a fancy at Louis' opened book. After a few seconds, she glanced up at me and narrowed her vision. She was a little confused at first, but when I discreetly nodded at the Ravenclaw, she looked annoyed and offended. I shook my head; she rolled her eyes. I nodded at Lorcan once more; she shook her head. I gave her a questioning look; and she returned it with a menacing one.

Moral of that little interaction? She claimed he was just her friend.

And just like I knew it was about to get ugly, I was the first one to spot Albus and Zabini strolling up towards us from the corner of my eye. And right before I could signal to Nia that her boyfriend was just a few inches away, he showed up.

"Sweets for my sweet—" Halting himself, Al stared skeptically at the Ravenclaw amongst Gryffindors. "Scamander," he said a little roughly.

Lorcan blinked up from the homework he was subconsciously doing for Louis. "Al," he replied simply.

Nia looked instantly annoyed.

"What are you doing here? So far away from the Ravenclaws, that is."

At the almost rude tone my cousin spoke with, Nia was quick to be the defender of people. "We're partners for Charms class this year, and we went to put in some practice and sign up for Horton's little club."

Al kept his frown on. "Did you tend to this little club too, Rose?"

As he turned his question to me, the atmosphere suddenly becoming tensed, Louis was the one to make the next move. "Hey, Scamander, fancy helping me out with this? I'm a ruddy idiot at it."

Not blind to miss the hostility Al had towards him, Lorcan nodded once at Louis and handed him back his belongings. He picked up his schoolbag again and turned to Nia as my blonde cousin collected his stuff. "See you later, Nia."

My friend just smiled dimly, her blue eyes narrowing into slits, but she said nothing. Soon enough, Lorcan and Louis were walking away from us without a look back. Zabini looked awkward, Nia frowned at Al, he returned it, and I was back to being annoyed.

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

"I wasn't," Al answered automatically to his girlfriend's question. And brushing it off, like none of the past minute happened, he extended his hand towards her again; a wrapped box at the end of it. "Sweets for my sweet," he repeated what he had when he first arrived. "I thought it might sweeten your day right up."

Though she was upset with him because of his ridiculous, though very justified, jealousy, Nia couldn't help a smile. "That's sweet of you, Potter," she laughed lightly. "But I honestly shouldn't."

"Excellent!" Yanking the box from her, Zabini waved it around happily as Lily and Roxanne and a few of their friends approached us from an aisle they had been in when I first entered the library with Louis. "Roxy, my love! For you." He bowed slightly as he handed it to her.

Roxy flushed as her friends awed from the background. "Oh, Lucas. Thank you! You shouldn't have bothered, love."

"Apparently he didn't." Peeking at the box with judging eyes, Lily pointed a finger at the tag stuck to it. "The name on it isn't yours, Roxy."

"Well, of course it isn't! They're for Nia!" Al took the box back from our cousin and extended it to his blonde girlfriend. "Here you go, Nia. Just take them. I bought them just for you."

Zabini glared at his fellow Slytherin as Roxanne started blushing from anger and her friends were giving him judging stares. "Those aren't for Nia either, you fucking liar."

Nia's blue eyes looked instantly outraged and enraged. "Who the hell are these chocolates for then, Albus?"

"You didn't even want them—_Ow_!" Al received a blow beside the head. "Don't be so vi—Ow! _Stop it_!" And right as Nia was going in for the third smack, the Slytherin tossed me the box. "Here! Take them fast before she murders me!"

I raised an eyebrow as I noticed that the name on the tag was mine. Skeptically, I looked back up at Al with a questioning look as Roxy stormed off with her friends and Zabini was fast on her trail; begging for forgiveness along the way.

"They came into our Transfiguration class today," Al explained. "McGonagall asked me to give them to you and to let you know that her classroom was not an owlery." He reached for Nia's hands and they wrestled over it for a few seconds before he continued. "And before you ask, Malfoy didn't send them."

Horror filled me up. "Please tell me McGonagall gave them to you personally and not in front of the entire class!"

My cousin looked sheepishly at me. "Before she did give them to me, she told Scorpius to refrain from leaving you packages in her classroom. But then Malfoy said they weren't from him, and well, you know the rest. McGonagall looked terribly awkward after that."

Yeah, because she probably thinks I'm a whore!

Great. Just freaking great.

"Is that why he hasn't come around?" My facial expression was that of sadness and hurt. I honestly hadn't a clue what was going on now. The last thing I wanted was for Scorpius to feel cheated.

"He stormed off after that," Al said in a put-out manner. "Though...he told me to tell you to open the box and he hoped you enjoyed it."

I groaned, but decided to tear open the wrappings of the box.

"Don't open it!" Al shouted. "You should trash them and then go looking for Malfoy!"

I ignored him and opened the lid of the chocolate box. And as expected, from whoever was playing this stupid game, I found another anonymous note.

_My dearest Rose,_

_I hope you found a fancy to my little gift this morning, and this one too. I know that they're your favorite. I've seen you sample them in Honeydukes every visit._

_By the way, you looked especially beautiful today. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you when I saw you pass by._

_Please meet me on the grounds before the next lesson. I've got a final gift for you._

That was it! I was going to tear apart whatever idiot was getting into my relationship! Whether it was Lysander Scamander, or Filch confessing a repressed love for me. This was not going to keep going on much longer.

"Where are you going?" Nia called out after me.

"To murder someone!" I shouted back, stomping by way out of the library and heading towards the exit of the castle.

**X **

It was taking me much longer to get to the grounds than what I thought. I had been stopped by Professor Trelawney, who was wondering where I was for her Sixth Year Divination class—that crazy old bat, like I would honestly continue with that rubbish subject—then by Hugo, who ranted for seven minutes if I knew that Dad was sleeping on the couch again because he went out for a round of drinks with Mister Malfoy, which Mum did not find amusing, and he wanted me to write to her to sort her out. (Like anyone could sort out Hermione Granger.)

And now, currently impeding my path was a dark-haired girl with a shiny Prefect's badge pinned to her Hufflepuff robes.

"Can you spare a moment, Weasley?"

I stopped suddenly at her tone. "Erm...I can't right now, Alice; I'm sorry." I gave her a peevish grin. "But, I'll find you later, alright?"

"It's important," she insisted, moving to the right as I attempted to pass her.

I kept that forced smile on. "And I feel terribly sorry, but I've got something pending at the moment and it's really important too."

"Are you going to see Lysander?" She raised a hand to halt me as I moved to the left to pass her, and this time she succeeded without a quick dodge on my part. I instantly felt a ball of guilt at the pit of my stomach. Her brown eyes were staring at me between determined and on the verge of total heartbreak.

"Erm..." I really didn't know what to say. Was I meeting Lysander? Was he the one sending me little tokens of affection? If so, why the _hell _would he do that?

I was going to kill that boy.

"We're dating, did you know?" It wasn't really a question. It was more of a mumble, as if she was thinking about it herself. "It was going great. We we're having the best time last year, even in the summer...But then the last month of holiday he just...changed. He's a little distant, cold, serious...And that's not like Lysander at all."

Oh, God. Strike me down, please. I was going to hell. Was Scamander actually dissing his girlfriend because of me? Because though I haven't seen much of Lysander over the summer holidays, or when he started dating Alice for that matter, he was _never _so serious. And what if James was telling the truth and at yesterday night's dinner he was looking at me like...well, like Lorcan looks at Nia?

_Oh, God._

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Alice." Oh, I really hope it was for her sake. And for mine while we're at it. "You just need to talk to him. Tell him how you feel and all that. I'm sure you'll be back to normal. I know how much you mean to him."

Her eyes watered, but she took a deep breath and mustered some firmness. "You've got ten minutes before break is over, Weasley. Don't diddle-daddle. I will take off points if you're not in class by then." And with that, the Hufflepuff Prefect was off.

With a shake of my head, I proceeded down the stone pathway and headed for the grassy grounds not that far away now. Now I wasn't really sure I wanted to see who it was that was leaving me anonymous notes. My murderous rage had been replaced by the guilt of watching Alice Longbottom's heart break practically in front of me.

How could she see _me _as a threat? I mean, I had sent Lysander Scamander packing his trunk a long time ago. We had one date to Hogsmeade, which only served to remind us that we were too different—him with his inherited oddness and me with my inherited lack of patience for it—and we had decided to stay friends. Of course I didn't mention that to anyone because I was still sorting out what I felt for Scorpius and all, but I honestly wasn't a threat! And I had assumed Lysander had gotten the clue by then too.

I swear I was going to curse this boy to a state of non-believe where even his mummy wouldn't be able to find him. I was not going to feel like floozy because of him.

I was already a few feet away from the open grounds of Hogwarts when I saw a blonde head from the distance. It was glowing orange from the rays of the setting sun, and I was instantly back to being upset.

Sprinting into a run, it took me less than six seconds flat to reach the boy and jump on his back. My weight had knocked him down, along with the sudden surprise of being attacked, and I sat on his back. Like I was in some toddler brawl, I started pulling the strands of blonde hair.

"Oi! Get off!"

I was flipped over, and now I was being straddled. My eyes widened. "_Scorpius_?"

"Obviously, Weasley," he hissed at me. His cheeks were flushed from being landed face-down on the ground.

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. "Erm, sorry," I mumbled quickly. "I thought you were someone else."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "And why would my girlfriend be jumping some bloke?"

Oh, right. That hadn't come out right at all.

As I opened my mouth to explain myself, he leaned a little closer to me and his grey eyes penetrated my golden-like ones. He was beautiful. But he was also wearing that terrifying smirk as he leaned one centimeter closer. "Scared you, I see." I raised a brow. "You were getting my gifts, weren't you not? I told Emily you'd freak out about all the little anonymous gifts I was sending you. But it's nice to know you love me that much, Weasley. I'm glad you came here to defend our relationship."

Surprise, outrage, disbelief, all morphed into anger in a second. "Why would you do that!" I raised both my palms, rolled them into fists, and started pounding on his chest. "I could've killed Lysander because of you! For goodness sake, Malfoy! I felt so horrible!"

Punch. Punch. Punch.

"Ow, watch it," he snapped at me as a knuckle graced his chin. He gripped my arms and pinned them down onto my chest. "Don't be so upset, love. I just wanted to spruce things up. I thought it'd be fun."

"It wasn't!"

"Clearly. I should've just bought you a book," he mumbled, rolling those liquid-metal eyes.

My frown was still on. "You didn't have to get me anything," I told him very seriously, calming myself a bit. "Why are you doing this, anyway?"

"Ah, that's the important question, isn't it?" He stopped gripping my hands and instead held them gently. His smirk turned into a captivating smile. "Well, my darling Weasley, today is an important day. You want to know why?"

"That'd be nice, yes."

At my frustration, he chuckled lightly. "Well, today is five years since I first met you," his voice was soft. "I know that the first few years of that we didn't know what to do with ourselves, but I sort of always knew, from day one, that you'd be something special for me. And though that terrified me all those years back, even six months ago, I'm glad we're in this spot."

"You straddling me and restraining me because I was punching you?" I was grinning, tears welled up in my eyes like a downright emotional girl.

"I like the straddling part," he laughed again. Winking at me, making me flush, he reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a velvet box. Though I wasn't stupid enough to believe a diamond ring was in there, my heart still pounded into overdrive. And with a cocky grin, he opened the box and pulled out what was inside.

It was a long, silver, necklace. And at the end of the chain, draped in emeralds, was a rose pendant.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

His hands went to the back of my neck, tossing my red waves aside carefully, and I felt the cool metal of the necklace touch my skin. The necklace hung perfectly, the rose pendant touching the center of my chest. It glittered with the ray of suns.

"It's beautiful just like you," he added soon after.

I took a hold of his hands that had found their way back to my stomach and pulled him down to me. Trying not to crush me, he snuggled into the crook of my neck and I embraced him tightly. This was all the comfort in the world. This was all I was going to need—just him.

"I love you," I said, and it never sounded so sincere and honest.

"I love you more, Rose," he replied.

It couldn't get any better than this.


	4. The Development

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 4:**The Development**  
**

**POV: **Lily**  
**

"Lily! Hugo's outside of the portrait looking for you! And Liam said that—_Ah! What the hell are you doing_?"

Looking away from the mirror that I had conjured to float around and suspend in the air where I needed it to be, I turned to look over my shoulder to see the completely outraged face that belonged to my cousin Lucy.

"What did Liam want?"

Lucy frowned deeply at me and looked down at the floor. "Can you please put on some clothes, Lily? It's not okay to be prancing about the dormitory like no one else lives in here either!"

I snorted and turned back to the full mirror in front of me. "Hey, if the rest of our roommates wanted to walk around naked, I don't care. It's no offensive for anyone to look at themselves in a mirror, is it?"

"By all means, Lily, look into the mirror all you want, but do it when you're fully clothed!"

Rolling my eyes, I ignored her for a moment as I studied what I was looking at in the mirror. It had started being a sort of routine for me in the last couple of weeks, just studying what the glass had to reflect. I saw pale skin tainted with a few freckles, courtesy of Mum's genetics, my toned legs and thighs, all due to Aunt Hermione's sudden liking for hiking, a flat stomach, natural speedy metabolism I suppose, my developed breasts, that had given a boost this past summer—thank Merlin!—and my slender arms.

In total, it was nothing bad at all. I was coming along nicely at this rate.

"Honestly, Luce, you should love yourself. It's talk like that that makes me wonder if your confidence is all there." Turning back to her, after disappearing the mirror with a quick flick of my wand, I walked over to my bed and picked up the bra I wasn't wearing. "What's that Dominique is always going on about? If you got it, flaunt it."

Frowning at me intensely, my cousin forgot all about her embarrassment just in time as I was slipping on the bra over my naked torso. "My confidence is impeccable, thank you," she snapped. "And isn't that Emily's bra?"

Clasping the bra from the back, I grinned and moved my fingers to tug at the straps of the lacy red bra. "It was."

"You've honestly lost your mind." Lucy tossed me my skirt and button-up shirt, eager for me to be all clothed up like some muggle nun. "And for the record, Lily, I doubt it's wise to listen to anything Dominique has to say. She is the one pregnant at seventeen, is she not? She flaunted too much if you ask me."

I rolled my eyes but managed a laugh. "That's because you don't know the meaning of fun, Lucy. If anyone asked you anything, it would have to be something you can find through a book and not anything you've ever experienced."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Her tone was clipped with an anger making her cheeks flush red, as well as the tip of her ears. She looked exactly like Uncle Percy, all but ready to explode.

"It means what it means, Luce." I shrugged indifferently, reaching for my Gryffindor tie and throwing the material around my neck. "I mean look at you. All that you are is a spitting image of your father, with his exact personality. All you want out of life is to be highly respected and prove that you're right about everything. You don't date, you don't put effort in your appearance, and I'm starting to think you'll wind up all alone while the rest of us surpass you."

Her brown eyes were completely infuriated, burning with hot tears.

"It's not that you're not beautiful, Lucy, because you are. You're personality is just lacking the right amount of spunk."

She took one step towards me, almost looking menacingly at me. "You talk as you assume you have any knowledge about my personal life."

"You don't _have _a personal life," I replied nonchalantly. "Besides, even if you had anything important to say, other than things you've read, things that you learned in class, or how Artie is driving you up the wall, then I'd know about it. We are best friends after all."

"I do too have a personal life," she hissed acidly. "And maybe, just _fucking _maybe, you'd see that the rest of us have lives too, and that not all that is important in the world revolves around you and Greengrass. But you're too bloody self-absorb to even notice anything else, or bother to ask how were are in the last few months!"

Letting out a scoff, I looked away from her for a moment to reach for my shoes. "You know that's not true at all, Lucy. I've always been well aware about what goes on in your life. Roxy and Hugo's life for that matter too. And for the record, if you'd show a little interest in actually having a life outside the pages of your dear books, then I'd believe you. But until then, you don't have any right to judge me of what I do."

"I have every right to call you out on the things you do," Lucy said through clenched teeth. "Who else would have the guts to tell you that you're acting like a stupid, ridiculous girl hopped up on hormones! Why can't you see that you're just embarrassing yourself?"

I glared at her. "Why can't you see that _you _are embarrassing yourself!" At the step that she had taken towards me earlier, I returned with the same hotness that she had. "You're the most uptight fifteen year-old I've ever encountered! You think that everything involving skin-contact or less than four items of clothing is considered shameful and immoral, and will eventually damn you to an afterlife as a poltergeist."

Those angry tears that had been glazing over her brown eyes finally fell. Lucy looked between wanting to murder me or break down in furious sobs. "You're wrong," she said in a clipped tone. "What I consider shameful is my fifteen year-old cousin acting like a downright whore."

She turned on her heels and exited our dormitory before I could even get anything else out.

**X**

They say that the first few days of a new term was the most difficult. They say that it takes up to three days to adjust to the pace of school and its works after weeks of being off in holiday, sleeping in, and running about without much responsibility. However, whoever had been spewing such nonsense was a proper tosser because they hadn't the foggiest about what they were talking about.

It had been two and a half weeks now since our return to Hogwarts and the pace of my schedule, the intense lessons that seem to get heavier every bloody year, was butchering me. My brain was completely fried, my eyes stung, and my fingers were sore from writing so damn much. And not to mention we were only halfway done with the school-day.

"Oh, ease up," Hugo laughed from my right side. "You've had all the easy classes so far."

"Double Potions is not easy," I snapped at him, putting my head on his shoulder as we continued to walk.

He put an arm around my waist. "It is when you're hatching up plans for world domination." I looked up at him and gave him a puzzled look. "And, of course, I'm a Potions genius. I don't know what Dad's been complaining about, having Rose date Malfoy and all. Ever since then, Mister Malfoy has been giving me extra lessons on the subject. Says I'm a natural."

"Does Uncle Ron know of these little lessons with his childhood nemesis?"

The Ravenclaw snorted. "Of course not, Mum refuses to tell Dad about it. But to tell you the truth, Lils, I rather it stay that way. Mister Malfoy is always in a better mood and the lessons are light since he enjoys the fact that Dad's been tricked. He's actually quite a funny person, you know?"

"What's your sudden interest in Potions, anyway?" I asked him. "That, and Transfiguration too. You're a brilliant student, my little Ravenclaw, but now more than ever you're hardcore about the subjects. I know you're up to something."

Hugo looked down at me with his blue eyes. They were sparkling with the mischief that tended to live in a Weasley boy's eyes.

"You are up to something," I said excitedly as I removed my head from his shoulders. I halted him on our way towards our History of Magic lesson. This was the excitement I needed to spruce up my boring day. "Come on, Hugo; fess up. You're up to something—or you're dating someone! Which one is it? Either case, I just need something fun to keep me going."

"My, you live a sad, little pathetic life, don't you?" He reached over at patted my head like a puppy. "And what if it's both?"

"It's always both with you," I replied, smirking at my double-meaning.

Catching that, my brilliant cousin laughed loudly. "Touche," he said. "But I'm afraid I have both under wraps, my darling Lily Luna Potter. A boy never kisses and tells; nor does he tell his bored cousin about his next big adventure."

"No fair." I pouted. "It's between you and your damn Ravenclaws, isn't it? And, oi, I tell you about my kisses."

He patted my head again, looking at me with amused sympathy. "No Gryffindors allowed, I'm sorry." His smirk contradicted his apology. "And, Lils, your kiss-and-tells are just kisses, sweetheart. There's nothing exciting about that."

My curiosity was instantly killed and replaced with anger. Hugo was a second away from facing my wrath, had it not been for the footsteps I heard and the sound of my name being echoed around the corridor I was standing in with my cousin.

Turning and appearing was a tall, kind-faced man with a small boy attached to his hand. "I hope I'm not interrupting an important conversation."

"Of course not," I told the man. "You interrupted Hugo's murder, Neville; so if anything, he owes you his life and me my freedom." Professor Longbottom smiled at me, but I ignored his gesture when I noticed that his First Year son was shedding tears and trying to hide behind his father's robes.

Noticing where I was looking at, Neville looked down at his son with sympathetic eyes and a gentle expression. "It seems Frankie offended a few Third Year Hufflepuffs when he was practicing a few spells and accidentally aimed one at the group."

Professor Longbottom nudged his son lightly, pulling him away from behind him so he stood in his own stance. And as little Frankie Longbottom came to full view, I saw that his nose was bruised, slightly crooked, and bleeding from the nostrils. "Those little—"

"Language, Lily," the professor interrupted me before I tainted his son's ears with my foul curses. "Besides, your cousin Artie already took care of the situation with that Weasley gusto you lot have. Which explains why the excuse he used when explaining the situation to the Headmistress was that he was just trying to see how products from the shop worked against enemies."

As I headed towards Frankie, I felt pride swell in my bones for Artie. He was the truest Weasley at heart, honestly. (And that was saying a lot from an offspring of Uncle Percy's.) Reaching the boy's face with my fingers, I wiped away his fallen tears and gave him a smile. "Someone has to start discrediting the stereotype that suggests that Hufflepuffs are gentle." I looked up at the professor. "Your daughter included, Neville."

The professor grinned and Hugo groaned from the background. "Oh, this is just great. He was doing so well."

"I'm sure Artie will get off the hook. He always manages to—"

"No, no," my cousin interrupted me. "I mean Uncle George. McGonagall had warned him about his products conflicting with student behavior."

Ruffling Frankie's hair, I said to him, "cheer up now, Frank. Hufflepuff is going to get what's coming to them. You mark my words, us Gryffindors stick together." The boy tried to smile at me, though rather embarrassed, and I glanced back at his father when I remembered that the man had called out for me. (And I doubt it was to come up with a plan to defend his boy from some Third Years.) "Was there anything you wanted me to do, Neville?"

"Actually, yes. I have a class I need to go substitute for right now, which I'm already late for, and I need him to pay a visit to the Hospital Wing. Think you can take him for me?"

I nodded my head and took his son's hand from him. "Sure thing, Professor."

"I owe you win, Lils." Neville ruffled my red hair in gratitude, and bent down to kiss his son's forehead. "Alright, Hugo, come with me. You're already five minutes late, and I can manage to spare you from Binn's detention."

And just like that, Professor Longbottom and Hugo headed off together.

When I heard a sniffle behind me, I turned away from the retreating figures to the small First Year. "You okay, Frankie?" I bent slightly towards him, gently removing his hands from his nose. "You must've put up a good fight if you escaped with only a bloody nose."

"They broke it first and then levitated me upside down," he told me with more embarrassment. "If Artie hadn't arrive they would've pulled down my pants."

I grimaced at the humiliating scene and he started shedding more tears. "Oh, it's alright, Frankie. You're a First Year, no one really expects you to know advanced spells like those idiots. But they'll get it, you watch."

"Yeah, but I'm a _Gryffindor_," he said sadly. "I should be brave. I shouldn't have let them—"

"That's the thing about Gryffindors, though, Frankie," I interrupted him. "We're not all about bravery and rubbish attitude. We're also loyal and just. And since you were sorted into Gryffindor, that makes you a true one at heart. Your courage is in there, kid, and it'll show up eventually."

Looking up at me with giant, hopeful eyes, the boy smiled at me. "Really, Lily?"

"Really," I confirmed. "And it's a good thing you have us crazy Weasleys to protect you, right? We'll be right there to cheer you on when you break out of your shell." And reaching for the cleanest hand, which was not as covered with dried blood from his nose, I said, "come, let's go get you all fixed up."

But as it was accustomed to be halted from important things, I heard familiar voices bounce off the corridor's walls. It was Louis, Freddie, and Liam.

"—It was your fault, prat!

"—My fault?"

"—Yes!" Their footsteps were loud, hinting that they were getting closer.

"Both of you, shut it!" Louis was the one speaking now. "We need to come up with a well-rehearsed plan, Freddie! You know Professor Rickman is always a pain in the ass when we arrive a few minutes late."

"You think you have a problem?" Ah, there it was. My man's turn to throw a hissy-fit. "I have Transfiguration, and McGonagall is subbing again!"

And the moment that the three figures came into my line of view, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at them like they had just been caught red-handed. And by the obvious packages of Uncle George's products they each carried, they really were just caught with their hands in the cookie-jar.

"Well, well," I started, a little leer on my face. "It seems like the three of you have bigger problems than being late. Mcgonagall already knows about the new products and she's looking for the culprit that's been handing them out."

Louis scoffed, looking like he didn't believe a single word I said. He knew perfectly well that I liked to stir up trouble for them. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

I ignored the part Veela git. "Liam, why do you always have to join them? You know they aren't any good."

Caught in between the redhead and the blonde, the brunette boy smiled sheepishly at me. "James was unavailable so they asked for my help."

"Oi, hold it there." Raising a free hand in the air, Freddie waved it about to gather attention. "Before you two go off on a lovey-dovey rant, how the hell does the Headmistress know about Dad's new products? They just arrived today. We haven't put them up for display yet."

"Artie," I said to him, pulling little Frankie Longbottom in front of me so they could see the damage.

Louis cursed our youngest cousin, mumbling to kick the boy's ass. "He didn't use them against you did he, Frank?" He asked as he inspected the mess the First Year's face was.

Frankie shook his head. "No, but Artie used them against these Third Year Hufflepuffs that broke my nose."

The three older Gryffindor boys winced as the boy showed them his broken nose fully, tilting his head back so they could see the dislocated bone and the blood.

"Well, guess that leaves Artie off the hook."

"And it leaves us off the hook too," Louis added soon after Freddie's thought. He snapped his fingers, his smirk suggesting he had just thought of something thoroughly brilliant to help their scheme. "Alright, Frank, we're going to take you to the Hospital Wing. That way we'll get a slip from Madam Pomfrey that will let Rickman know we were assisting, and we'll just tell the old bat that your dad sent us. It's brilliant!"

Frankie nodded excitedly. I sighed. Boys will be boys, right? "Make sure they fix him up," I told my cousins sternly as I handed the First Year to them. "And don't give him any of those products, he's too young still. And not to mention Neville will kill you."

"Yeah, yeah," Freddie waved me off. "Come, Greengrass. We can get you an excuse—"

"No, no, no." Slapping away my redheaded cousin's hold on my boyfriend's arm, I pulled Liam to me and frowned at Freddie. "He stays with me. You two are such bad influences on him that I swear he'll be the one who gets blamed for everything."

Louis motioned Freddie and Frankie to take the lead, staying behind and frowning at me back. "Oi, Greengrass," but then he turned his irritated blue eyes towards my brunette boyfriend. "You say your goodbyes and you make sure my little cousin heads to class. If I find out you took this moment to run your slimy hands over her, you'll die a painful death."

"I'm not—" Punch.

"See you later, lads," was what Louis said after he so rudely punched Liam's arm. He proceeded to walk away in all his swagger, whistling nonchalantly and fading away from the corridor.

Glaring at the empty corridor, I turned back to the older boy. "Why do you always let them push you around like that?"

"They're not pushing me around," he replied as he took a few steps closer to me. "They're just protective, and I get that. Besides, it's in my best interests to get along with your family, Lily. It's better to have them on your side than against you."

I shook my head and didn't comment on that in that instant. Instead, I took the next second to wrap my arms around his neck, reeling him towards me, and letting the absolute feeling of love overwhelm me. "It doesn't matter what they think," I finally replied. "I'm the one in the relationship with you, not them. Focus on me."

A smile tugged at his lips for a moment, and in the next he pressed his forehead against mine; having to bend a few inches down to do so. "I know it's frustrating, but they mean good, Lils. They are your family, after all. And, like I said, I understand that they want to protect you. That doesn't offend me."

"But it offends me," I whispered. I didn't give him a chance to comment on that as I swallowed his reply when I pressed my lips to his. I pulled him closer to my body, tightening the hold I had around his neck and flushing him a few centimeters more. With skilled hands, I managed to snake my fingers through his brown hair and tug at the ends of it. And from that, I was given a throaty groan from him.

I could feel his frantic heartbeat, his pulse quicken, and his blood rush faster against my skin. Letting out a shaky breath at his body's reaction, I moved my mouth to his neck and started to lightly nibble on the skin, then running my tongue over it.

He copied me and let out a trembling sigh. He was starting to lose his composure, I knew, as his hands squeezed my waist a little too tightly; his fingers denting into me. A rush surged through my body at the flash of possessiveness in him, making me moan and not being absolutely embarrassed about it.

And it was due to that strange flicker of possessiveness in him that caused me more delicious surprise when Liam captured my lips with his, and his own fingers found the way to my red hair and gripped without the gentleness he always used on me when we kissed.

Unaware of myself, an almost animalistic sense took over me as I hooked my right leg over his hip. I brought him in closer, ending the space I didn't even know was still left to close. But I felt him, I felt him closer. My pulse was quickening too, especially when he groaned into my mouth and lifted me off the ground completely. His hands were now clutching the back of my thighs, touching my bare skin there due to my school-skirt.

I smirked into his mouth when I felt my back collide with whatever wall he'd chosen. He was always careful with me, always nothing but light pecks on the mouth, that I felt like I was winning something here. As such, I dared myself to move my fingers from his hair and hurriedly run my fingertips over the thin material of his button-up shirt.

I made a trail down his chest, on his flat abdomen, wishing that I was kissing that pathway instead. My fingers passed his bellybutton, and then they were hooked at the waistline of his trousers. Without a second thought, I tugged the ends of his shirt from their neatly tucked place. I bit his bottom lip as my fingers now felt his skin. And next, I reached for the waistband of his trousers again, my hands already trying to disappear inside.

"Stop!" The soles of my shoes slapped against the corridor floor, making me stumble and almost hit the floor face-flat.

As Liam backed away from me, breathing heavily, shaking his head like something awful had just happened, I glared intently at him. "What the hell was that!"

"I can't, Lily," he murmured, still breathing in and out like he'd run a marathon. His face was flushed, and his hair was in disarray due to my pesky fingers.

"Can't do _what_, Liam?" I snapped, adjusting my robes and skirt with fury. "You can't be a proper boyfriend? You can't touch me? Every couple does it, for Merlin's sake! It's not the end of the fucking world because we progress from hand-holding and kisses on the cheek!"

Liam sighed, but didn't say anything as he tucked his shirt back into his pants and then reached for his disregarded schoolbag on the floor. "I just don't want to move so fast, alright?" He looked at me in what he wanted to be as reassurance. "I love you, Lily, I do. And I definitely don't mind...I want to touch you, Lily. I do want to do everything with you and just give in, but I _can't_. You're too young at the moment and I'd feel like I'm taking advantage of that."

"Oh, fuck you!" I hissed at him. "Don't you dare give me that 'too young' rubbish, Liam! You say you don't want to take advantage, and that's sweet, but I _want _you to! I want you, damn it!"

My boyfriend's face looked sympathetic, a little tortured, but he was working on pulling on that calm expression that was always present on him. "I'll see you at dinner, okay?" He said in a light tone, backing away from me already. There was a half-smile on his face, and before he could turn completely from me, he said, "I love you."

Seething at his retreating figure, I felt deep hatred pool in my stomach. I was not a little fucking girl. And I was growing tired of everyone treating me as such. Didn't they see me? Didn't they see that I was a woman now?

Well, if they didn't, I was going to show them...


	5. Of Snogging and Being the Man

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 5: **Of Snogging and Being the Man

**POV: **James**  
**

"Professor—"

"So here we all are," beady, dark eyes that belonged to the one and only Minerva McGonagall, former Transfiguration teacher and current Headmistress, narrowed into tiny slits as she maneuvered them all over her classroom, stabbing them at anything they met,"_again_."

"Professor—"

"I had soon assumed that after so much time wasted in discussions and pleads for renewal of chances throughout the years that the message would have eventually sunk in."

"Professor—"

"But as always, it seems, you have proven that in some cases there is absolutely no hope," she continued on unemotionally, only expressing her deep-rooted anger through the reflection of her half-moon spectacles.

"Professor—"

"Mister Potter." Turning that elderly glare at me, scaring the living magic out of me by her hiss that I jumped up on my seat and let out a girly squeak. Dear Merlin, if she ever does that to me again during nightfall I'll no longer be able to sleep. The old woman had the lethal and crazed stare that you'd see in a horror film about an old creepy woman. "For the hundredth time since Mister Filch brought you in, _be quiet_."

Pushing away my slight fear for the woman, I looked at her disapprovingly. "I just don't understand why I'm here. I was innocently walking to my lesson when that old nutter," she threw me another frown, her cheek-bones popping out dramatically beneath her paper-thin skin, "I mean, when Mister Filch began harassing me towards here. Now, I promised my mummy that I would try harder this year, so if you excuse me, I've got Potions—"

"Sit down, Mister Potter!" Slamming a palm on the surface of a nearby desk, the Headmistress was now on her last level of patience. "You are in here because you're no saint. You apparently inherited much of your father's traits, and neither of you have seemed to master the meaning of silence when a professor asks of it."

Well, bloody hell. Here I thought that the greasy, maniac, ex Potions Master hanging on a wall inside the Headmistress' office was the one that hated Dad.

"Now," McGonagall continued, composing herself as she looked around the classroom and forgot about me for a second. "All of you are to serve two hours in here, and in that time, you're all to do your homework. Which I'm sure has been waiting to be done." She had a point. Almost a month into school and I hadn't even turned in an assignment. "At the end of those two hours, I will return and you're not allowed to leave this classroom until I see some worked completed. If you fail to do so, the consequences will be severe."

I scoffed, not being able to help the rebel in me.

She turned those beady eyes back at me. "I don't mean detention with Mister Filch in the Forbidden Forest either. Especially seeing as the forest hasn't done the trick with the lot of you. I will be handling your punishment with something that will actually improve your behavior; something you all fear."

"A troll?" I asked. "Because I hear that my dad and Uncle Ron took on a troll their First Year. I wouldn't mind taking on a pack, showing them that their offspring are just as capable."

A round of laughter echoed around the classroom.

The Headmistress' expression remained impassive. "I'll be owling your mothers," she said in a nonchalant tone, "and I will have them sit in your lessons with you throughout the entire day." My eyes grew outraged and the laughter around me stopped. The air was pregnant with terror. " On a third warning you will be removed from taking your final exams, which will prevent you from completing your education here."

"You can't do that!" Jumping up from his seat, six desks away from me, Freddie voiced his outrage. "That's barbaric! What are we, back three centuries ago? You never call a bloke's mum!"

The Headmistress made no expression. "Is that really barbaric, Mister Weasley? Because I believe it's more barbaric to attack a group of Third Year Hufflepuffs."

"They're not as gentle as they appear," Freddie informed her. He rose an arm into the air, pulling back the sleeve to his white button-up and showed the ring of teeth marking his arm. "That troll-looking one almost ripped my skin off! He was chewing on me—_chewing_! Where's the justice in that?"

"The two hours start now," McGonagall said, ignoring my redheaded cousin as she proceeded towards the door. "Use it wisely." And that was all the old bat said as she closed the door behind her; Filches mocking laughter echoing outside the hall.

Slumping down back onto his seat, Freddie glared at the door while rubbing his arm.

"Ease up, Freds," Louis, who was without a doubt in trouble with Freddie and I, said casually as he propped his feet up on his desk. "I'm sure all Hufflepuffs are vaccinated before they're allowed entrance to Hogwarts."

"Molly was never—"

"Molly's insane by nature," I huffed as I interrupted Freddie's interjection. Molly II is our insane cousin, who disappeared for almost two years after she graduated Hogwarts, that's been the only Hufflepuff before her brother Artie came along. She was insane as all the Weasley women, and we know that nothing can settle those witches down. "No shot can keep her down. Anyway, just ask Rose to give you something for it and it'll be good as new."

Freddie shook his head sadly. "It's no use, mate. They're going to have to chop it."

Louis laughed loudly. "Then you're doomed, Cousin. You can't get a girlfriend with your natural appearance, imagine if your missing a limb?"

"Dad's missing an ear and he got Mum," Freddie said in a mumble, looking suddenly defensive.

Knowing Louis perfectly well I knew that his teasing was not done yet. By the glint to his eyes, and the smirk on his face, there was still one more good jab. "Well, it's settled then. We'll find you someone like Aunt Angelina."

"I can get a girlfriend on my own!" Freddie's ears were as red as his hair by his anger.

Louis' laughter did not cease, it grew with more malice and mock that I almost cringed at the embarrassment that this entire situation was bringing. "Oh, that was rich, Freds. I mean, it's our Seventh Year at Hogwarts—the last, by the way—and you've yet to even snog a girl. You're getting left behind, mate. It's pathetic, really."

"I've snogged girls plenty times!"

"Who?" Louis asked, snorting.

"In Bulgaria, three years ago! I went with Dad to a business meeting there and there was this girl—"

"It already sounds like a lie," Louis cut across him.

I chuckled a little. "That's because it is," I said. If Freddie was going to defend his honor, it was going to have to be with the truth. That's the way things got done around here. We were honest with each other, whether it embarrassed or angered us. "The meeting was in Canada that year, and Freddie was stuck watching a hockey game with Uncle Ron."

"Dear Merlin, Freddie!" Louis exclaimed, looking humorously concerned. "So you've never kissed a girl? You're _seventeen_, mate. Now I really am worried."

I nodded my head. Fred Weasley II was going to die a virgin at this rate.

Sensing that this went on for far too long, especially since Freddie looked deeply hurt that we were making fun of something that was intimate to him—though, nothing was really kept a secret; honest truth, we knew everything, we were like gossiping girls—I decided to change the subject from him. "So, Louis, how are you and Coral these days?"

Catching my drift, Louis let go of all of his sneering and relaxed into his seat. "Brilliant actually," he said calmly. "Ever since her mum died last year we've been improving our communication. She says it'd because she doesn't want to leave things unsaid, or the like, who cares honestly. Anyway, I've just stuck around and helped her out these past few months. Cormac—that's right, I call him Cormac now," he clarified casually as he referred to Mister McLaggen, "has even gotten quite chummy with me. In fact, he even left Coral and I alone at their place. No pesky little brother to knock out while we did the do."

Arrogant git, he was.

"Just don't end up like your sister, mater," I said to him casually. And this time, as Louis' expression went from smug to immediately disgusted, Freddie was the one who burst out laughing.

"Well, what about you and Taylor, then?" The blonde shot back. "I hear you two were violating closets in my house."

"Oi, that's not true," I snapped. "That was Al! You've got a problem with the violation of your house, take it up with him and Harper. Those two have been going at it like rabbits. Did I tell you that Zabini found them mid-action on the train?"

Louis scoffed and rolled his eyes. "The point is, that I know you and Emily are getting it on too. If you're going to start lecturing about safe practice, I suggest you follow your own advice, git. You don't want to give Aunt Ginny a grandchild before the last term of school, do you?"

Now, there could have been plenty of ways to handle this situation, I know. I could have taken the polite way out and dismiss it, or I could've been rude and told him to piss off, but of course I chose neither. I went the crude way.

"I'll keep that in mind, mate, but it's hard sometimes, you know? I mean, we're going at it all the time. Sometimes in the heat of things a bloke forgets to mutter a spell, or put on those things Aunt Hermione gave us form that one muggle hospital."

_Bang._

Before anything else could be said, my cousins and I turned around to the furthest corner of the classroom to gape at what had made the noise. And right there, having had gone unnoticed by all of us, sat Artie Weasley.

"Will you three shut up?" He hissed. "I've got a bloody Charms essay to finish, and you won't let me concentrate! I don't want to hear about the disgusting things you swear you've done."

Mumbling an apology, I felt instantly mortified. If Artie opened his Hufflepuff mouth, Louis, Freddie and I were screwed.

"You don't think he'll tell our mums, do you?"

Smirking from his seat, Freddie propped his feet up on the desk arrogantly as he stared at us with a leer. "That's the least of your concerns." He pointed a finger behind his back. "McGonagall's been in here the entire time."

And sure enough, as Louis and I turned to face the doors of the classroom with complete terror, there was a tabby cat sitting at the entrance;looking between petrified and infuriated.

**X**

Walking along on my merry way, I was halted from those joyful skips as I knocked into someone. Malfoy.

"You can look happier to see me, Potter," he said to me, narrowing his eyes back at me; mimicking the distaste on my face.

He bent down, gathering his schoolbag that had fallen from our collision, and I was tempted to kick it out of his hand. "Can't say that I am," I told him truthfully. And since I knew exactly where I was, I frowned at him some more. "You're too up in the towers for a Slytherin, Malfoy. Did you lose your way?"

"And because I'm a Slytherin I'm only resorted to the dungeons? Here I thought that the castle was free reign."

"Because you're a Slytherin I'd say you're unfit for the dungeons and I would cast you to where the Care of Magical teachers dumps the animal droppings, but, hey, I'm not the Headmaster of the school."

Malfoy rolled his eyes at me. "Always charming to talk to you."

Before he could leave, I gripped the strap of his schoolbag; halting him. "Why are you all the way up here? Rose is tutoring today and doesn't finish until the Astronomy class starts."

"Are you really that insecure?" That was his retaliation, shoving my hand away from the strap of his schoolbag. "If you wanted to ask if I was up here for Emily you could just be a man and ask straightforwardly."

"I am man enough, Malfoy," I hissed at him. "And I don't like you hanging about her."

"She's my best friend—"

"And I respect that," I interjected, though we both knew it was a total lie.

A frown deepened on his features; the silver in his eyes turning darker. "Look, Potter, I know the way I feel about Emily and I know the way I feel about Rose. I know things were confusing last year for you, but they've always been clear to me. I...will apologize if it comes off the wrong way, but I'm not going to stop talking to my _best friend_ because you're scared about something that's illogical."

"I just don't want her to be overwhelmed," I confessed through gritted teeth, the same way he had previously. "Too many people might throw her off balance."

He scoffed, like what I had just said was incredulous. "Do you really feel that threatened? Are you that afraid that she can love me as much as she loves you?"

My frown turned to an almighty glare.

"She does love me as much as you," he told me arrogantly. That slimy fucking git. "But in different ways. The sooner you gather that, the sooner you'll stop freaking out every time I come to the Gryffindor Tower." He was about to leave again but he stopped, sighing a little as he turned to give me an odd expression. It wasn't an angry one, but it was an almost sympathetic one. "...You can't fix her all on your own, Potter."

I was about to comment on that but the blonde Slytherin marched away this time, no look back as I gritted my teeth. He knew more than what he wanted to say, and I had to grudgingly admit that it was...respectable of him to keep it to himself. He knew my intentions and he could've retaliated to crush down every single one of them—and yet he didn't.

Merlin. I was in debt to the fucking Malfoy heir.

I didn't continue skipping my way to my destination, but I got there as soon as it took to say 'James Sirius Potter is the hottest boy in the world'. I marched into the portrait hole, after giving the Fat Lady the password and dodging her plea to hear her sing, and spotted my target.

Tiptoeing my way closer, dropping my schoolbag silently and careful on the floor of the common room, I was given the attention of some Gryffindors around me; all of them looking at me, but trying to dissimulate it so my target wouldn't find anything suspicious. And once I counted three, I launched myself forward. "_Muah_!" I exclaimed dramatically as I kissed the head of my witch sitting in front of the fireplace. "Did you miss me?" I asked as the other occupants of the room laughed at my flare.

"Don't I always?" She responded, patting the place next to her on the floor. I joined her without having to be told twice, scooting myself close enough to her until she rested her head on my shoulder; allowing me access to wrap an arm around her. "If you were to stop getting detentions every other—"

"I was innocent this time!" I protested, turning to face her in an angle. "I was on my way to class, humming a tune, thinking all about how fascinating Potions was going to be when Filch grabbed me!"

Emily raised a dark eyebrow at me. "Professor Longbottom told me all about what you did with the mandrakes, James." All my gusto was taken and ripped to shreds. (There went the story I had rehearsed and come up with for Mum. Now I had nothing for the certain Howler that will be arriving tomorrow morning.) "I thought you were done causing havoc, James. You promised you were going to focus on your studies."

I wanted to snort but I contained myself. It was never a good choice when you tell your girlfriend you make promises just to get her off your case and to earn yourself a proper kiss. "And I was—I _am_—but it I couldn't not do anything, could I?" I tore my arm away from her shoulders as I reached for my schoolbag. "The Slytherins decided it would be just fucking hysterical to put a tentacle of Devil Snare inside my things!" I opened the latch of my schoolbag and took out a giant, dried tentacle. "I could have died!"

"You were not going to die," Emily said patiently before kicking the tentacle aside. She looked up at me, a smile shining bright. Her pale skin was shaded orange by the flames of the fireplace, but I still thought she was radiant. "I doubt the Slytherins would go that far. And besides, it's not even a tentacle. It's a thick branch from a tree. They bewitched it to move."

My jaw dropped, hesitantly turning to the rubbish I had just whipped out of my bag. "How the hell do you know that?"

She put a gentle hand on my thigh. "Al and Scorpius told me about it our last lesson," she explained. There was a pink tint to her cheeks and I was certain it was because she was trying to hold in laughter at my horrified expression. "Apparently some Seventh Year Slytherins sneaked off to the forest and cut off a piece of a tree. They just wanted to know if you would...Nevermind."

"Emily," I called through gritted teeth.

My girlfriend gave me a dim smile. "They just...erm...wanted to know if you were...erm...stupid enough to freak out about it. All their words, I swear."

"I am not stupid!" I snapped. My blood boiled into rage. Those fucking snakes were going to get it, and it was going to hurt every single one of them. I will make them regret the day they decided to pull a prank on me. (Especially for laughing like a pack of hyenas when I tossed my bag and ran from it.)

"I know you're not," she responded. She put her other hand on my other thigh and brought herself closer to me, our kneecaps resting upon each other. "You were the one who locked them in a broomstick closet with five growing mandrakes and an automatic hormone sprayer." She laughed lightly, and it triggered mine. I couldn't help the smile that plastered on my face on its own accord; when she was happy, so was I. "You're far more brilliant than any Slytherin, James."

"And don't you forget it!" I reeled her in closer, dropping myself on my back on the carpet of the common room floor with her laying perfectly on top of me. Her emerald eyes were looking directly into mine, making me lose myself in their perfection. Wait—correction, _she _was simply perfection.

In every way possible I felt like she completed me. Sure, I'm James Sirius Potter and life is pretty damn dandy all the time, but beside all the ego and pride that comes from being the son of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, there's always something more. It's like a hole that can't be filled with what others give us, with their praises and admiration. It was a void that demanded to be filled to the brim with brilliance and something overpowering that has to come purely for you. And that's what Emily Taylor was for me.

Neither of us it planned it, but it just happened. And if I'm not mistaken, that's how all the beautiful and cheesy love stories begin.

Allowing myself to put my hands on her hips, I also gave myself permission to rub the tips of my thumbs on the exposed skin there. "I love you," I whispered to her before picking up my head and closing the few inches that separated us.

The first few seconds my lips remained perfectly still, sensing her immediate reaction to take flight, and once it melted away, she relaxed completely and began to move her lips against mine. At the delicious way that she tasted, it enticed all those bubbling, passionate emotions in me as I slipped my tongue into her mouth. She gave me dominance for a few moments, but then she had taken it all back and I couldn't bring myself to care. I would let her take it whenever she wanted.

Our breathing grew tensed, our kissing more needy, and then her fingers snaked themselves into my hair and tugged. She pulled me forward until I was sitting down, her on my lap, and the closer our body was together, the more it felt bloody amazing. I moved my hands from her hips to her waist and gripping her tightly; letting out a growl that she swallowed as my blood rushed thick.

Clearing forgetting that others had been in the room previously, I was thankful to my house-mates as I took a second to open my eyes and saw that they had all left as we decided to violate the fireplace area. Emily's hands found my tie, loosing it until she could throw it off of me. Her fingers started working at the top buttons of my white oxford, and snuck her hand after the opening was enough. She rested her hand over my heart, and as she could feel it beat beneath her skin, she let out a content sigh. It was almost like if she had to make sure I was human; if I was real.

Smiling into her mouth, I gently put my hand on her abdomen, feeling the smooth skin there as her tank-top had risen up and left all that glorious skin for me to admire. Taking my left hand, I pushed a little higher, my fingertips creating a trial up, and my hand decided to rest on the area where her chest met her stomach. Another type of rush crawled through my skin, screaming at me, as my body reacted to the fact that I was so close to her perfect breasts.

But just as quickly as I had decided to reach for them, Emily pulled my hand out and I wasn't granted permission to touch heaven.

"We should call it a day, don't you think?"

I tossed myself onto my back, breathing deeply to try and calm all the hectic mess going on inside of me. (Oh, all these dirty urges were making me feel like a pervert.) "...I just got here," I mumbled.

"Yeah, well...there's classes tomorrow, James. And it's already late. Do you want McGonagall to give you another detention?"

I didn't say anything, I just looked up to the ceiling of the common room. The hormones inside my body were starting to calm down now.

Emily leaned a little closer to me, almost hovering over me as her beautiful expression turned stern. "Let's go to bed now."

I pouted at her, mimicking that look that Lily used to do to Dad whenever she wanted something to go her way. "Come on, Em. I haven't seen you all day, it's been killing me. Between lessons, revenge and detention, a bloke misses his girlfriend."

A smile cracked through her firm expression. "Maybe if you stopped getting detention we can spend some time together like a normal couple, have dinner and the like." She jumped off me, crawling her way to my side and resting there with me. She placed her head on my chest, snuggling into me.

"When have we ever been a normal couple?" I asked as I traced a fingertip around the surface of her palm; right over a light scar that she gained from her attack last year. "And dinner with me always turns into a drama scene."

She laughed, snuggling closer as she put an arm around my stomach; trying to pull me just a little closer to her. "That's what I meant by normal. Today we had dinner quietly—_quietly_, James."

Squinting my eyes at the skin of her arm laying on me, my response to her comment died at the tip of my tongue. There were shades of purple and green on her skin, along with rings of what looked like mending burnt skin.

"James?"

Ignoring her, I sat into a sitting position, pulling her arm along with me. I pulled it towards the fireplace, where the light hit it perfectly, and I studied her skin. Not only was it bruised, but there were thin, red lines running from the inside of her forearm. They started from her wrist and they disappeared around her shoulder and into her chest.

"James," Emily called for me again. "What is it?"

"Your arm," I said immediately. "What happened to it?"

Her eyes widened a little, a bit of surprise and regret in them, but it was quickly wiped away as she shrugged; pulling her arm back from my hold. "It's nothing," she said indifferently. "It was my turn to feed the Skrewts today, and well...they weren't in the happiest of moods, you know. Just an accident."

I frowned at her, clearly not convinced by her story. "Have you been having nightmares again, Emily?" There was no need to ignore it or sugar-code it. Straightforward and honest was always the best method, Dad always said. "Because if you are, your Healer told you that—"

"I'm _fine_," she snapped, the atmosphere around her suddenly tensed and thick. "And there isn't any nightmares. I know what the Healer said, your mom constantly reminds me of it, as does Scorpius and Rose, but I'm okay. All of you need to stop worrying."

A single moment passed in silence before I made another comment. "I'm just saying that you should continue with your Occlumency. It will help close your mind off, and then you won't feel so terrible when the thoughts of—"

"They're not thoughts," she interrupted me. "They're memories. And it's hard not to think of them when you're terrified of the full moon outside your window."

Deep anger wanted to start boiling in my blood at the way her words sounded so cracked and broken, so scared and not healing. I would've killed Lance Greyback, but it had been proven that I didn't have that in me. All I had was the patience and the love to try and fix the mess he left.

"...You know, I'm always going to be here, Taylor," I mumbled to her, laying back down and pulling her with me. I settled her back onto her original position, her head on my chest and my arm around her tightly. "No matter what. I'll be here to protect you. Nothing nor anyone will ever hurt you again, I promise."

She pressed a kiss to my chest. "I know," she said in all her tenderness. "And I love you."

I smiled, looking back towards the ceiling. "And if you do have nightmares again, you can always sneak into my bed. The only condition is that I have a strict policy on clothing. You mustn't wear any if you do decide to join me."

She slapped me hard on the chest, making me laugh loudly at her reaction. "Not going to happen, James Potter."

"Come on!"

"Nope."

"Damn it!" I cursed and she slapped me again.

Forget Freddie, I was going to die a virgin at this rate.


	6. The Mental, Middle Child

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 6: **The Mental, Middle Child

**POV: **Dominique**  
**

In the middle of the day, when the sky was an impassive and boring blue, when there were no puffy, white clouds or the burst of light from the sun in the corner like an almighty watcher, a scream pierced through the air down bellow in the gardens of Shell Cottage. A few birds were startled out of their nests; taking off as a blonde, elegant, and simply exquisite woman stood with a horrified expression.

"Fleur!" Storming out from the cottage, a burly man with red hair and a scarred face appeared next to his wife; a wand out to be ready to fight off or defend. "What happened!"

Pointing a finger ahead of her, Fleur shouted in her native language, "_Regardez_!" She then put a trembling palm over her mouth, only showing her terrified blue eyes.

This time without fight in his face, Bill Weasley gaped at the direction his wife pointed with complete and utter fear. "Dominique!"

"Hello, Daddy!" I looked down at my father, smiling grandly at him from the thickest branch of a nearby apple tree in our garden; where I was swinging myself from. I was rocking my legs back and forth, and my parents inched closer to me.

Oh, it was definitely a normal day at Shell Cottage.

"Dominique!" Mum bellowed again, her eyes filling up with tears for who knows what reason.

"What the bloody hell are you—"

The rest of Dad's angry question was cut off when more thundering footsteps were heard coming towards us. And not a second later, "Mum! Dad!" was heard echoing throughout the walls of the house. And just like that, my dearest older sister Victoire Lupin appeared. "We just apparated and we heard—_AH_!"

Oh, honestly. What's with the dramatics?

Emerging from the backdoor of the house, Teddy raised an eyebrow at my direction as he chewed on a pumpkin pasty like it was the most casual thing in the world. Of course, it wasn't because that pumpkin pasty was mine and he'll regret taking it. "What are you doing up there, Dom?"

"Just hanging out," I told him nonchalantly, still kicking my legs forward. "By the way, you stupid git, those are my sweets."

As I removed a hand from the branch to use my free fingers to point at myself, the young and old look-alikes—by which I of course mean Mum and Victoire—let out another piercing scream.

"I didn't see your name on it," Teddy replied, shoving the rest of it in his mouth. He grinned mockingly at me, the bits of the pastry showing between his teeth.

Already having a comeback to give to my dearest brother-in-law, Dad prevented me from saying anything as he raised his wand and pointed it at my direction. "Are you really that mental?" He huffed angrily at me, and I mouthed the words that were going to certainly come out next. "You're not a little girl anymore, Dominique! You've got responsibilities now, act your age!" Before I could defend myself he said, "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

Removing my hands from the branch I was holding on to, I let the spell guide me down gently until I was safely deposited on the surface of my mother's grassy garden. Scowling at the faces looking at my direction, all disapproving—except for Lupin, who looked quite amused—and very judging. "I could've done that myself," I huffed.

"Really?" Dad raised his thick brow as my mother and sister headed towards me; both looking like a sweep of blonde hair, blue eyes, and white complexions. "Because unless my memory is failing me, that there is your wand." He pointed a fat finger towards a few rose bushes feet away from me, and surely enough there was a long, smooth, stick made of Hawthorne and dragon heart-string sticking out of it.

"Damn it," I hissed to myself. I started pulling on my pajama pants, inspecting them, and of course, like my luck, there was a hole where my wand should've been. "Mum," I looked up at the blonde woman who was checking my red hair, my face, my everything in case she would find some sort of wound, "I'm going to need new jammies."

I heard Lupin chuckle mockingly from the background. "So if you didn't have your wand, Dom, how were you planning on getting down? Were you going fly?"

Not looking towards his direction, seeing as Victoire had now taken Mum's place to fondle me without permission, I just stuck a hand in the air and gave him the finger. Smarmy bastard, he is.

"—Don't you ever think, Dominique!" Whatever light there was in the air was cut off when my father began to roar in his I've-lost-my-cool attitude. I took a few seconds to look at him, especially since I had developed a theory that when looking at Bill Weasley's face when he was angry was like looking at a Basilisk.

"Dad, please—"

"Of course you don't!" Dad went on, interrupting the would-be interference for me that my sister was about to do. (Much to my surprise. She never got in the middle of Dad's parental lectures.) "But I'm not even surprised. Half of the things you've done in your life have been nothing but complete messes! _Look at you_! Everything is a mess!"

Mum and Victoire stopped their caresses on my delectable body. They froze in their spots, both their eyes looking a little wary now. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked my father, speaking in a tensed tone.

There was a flare in his eyes, almost like a hesitation. It was raw, and it looked like it was paining him for a moment. Then there was regret. "It means what it means, Dominique," his rough voice was low. "It means that instead of continuing your education, going into business like you've always planned to, has come to a stop and you know find yourself swinging by a branch with your illegitimate child in your womb." Yes, there was definitely regret and hurt in his green eyes.

I swallowed roughly, finding a knot stuck in my throat as I looked at him head-on. "My child," but my voice squeaked despite my determination, "is _not _a bastard, if that's what you're getting at. He has a father. Unless you've forgotten how sex works, old man. It takes two people to create life."

"Dom, stop." Putting a hand on my shoulder, Victoire looked at me carefully; wanting me to halt.

I ignored my sister, pushing her hand away from me. "If I'm too much of a bother, I can move out. You don't have to sugar-code anything, Dad; just tell me."

"Maybe that's for the best."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut as soon as those words left my dad's mouth. And seeing as I wasn't the only one who was surprised by his choice, Mum stood instantly from where she was kneeling beside me. "Say no more, Bill," she told him. "We shall handle zis privately."

My parents were devoted ones, I could never deny that. They cared, they loved, and they provided with everything there was to give children. They were exceptional—but one thing they never counted on was me.

You see, Victoire is the perfect one. She's the daughter who made her family proud the moment she started taking her first steps. She had showed excellent knowledge from her early age, sticking to Aunt Hermione and her lessons like they were candy and the only ones left in the world. Then, once she went to Hogwarts, she was sorted into Ravenclaw; a proud symbol of her intelligence. She was beautiful, smart, and glowed with the potential to be someone great in life. She was the part Veela girl that made prefect, who then made it to Head Girl, and who ended up being the top of her year when she graduated. After all those accomplishments already under her lacy, pink pillow, Merlin couldn't forget to grant her a golden ticket to the Healer school; which she then graduated a year earlier than most. And let's not forget the joy of walking down the aisle pure as her white dress, where she then married one of London's only decent men.

Next we have Louis, the baby. Full of complete swagger and charm, he's one of those who act the toughest and most baddest of the world. Untouchable is what he thinks he is. And all of that was just a clear cover-up of the fact that behind all that wit and annoyance is a boy who is one of the most caring. He is the troublemaker, but with a cause. He's the one to defend anyone he loves with tooth and nail; the one who would risk his life without a moment's hesitation. He's a proud Gryffindor, and the one who wants to be just like Dad. He's already established that he wants to be a Curse Breaker, and once he's out of Hogwarts, it's an Egyptian training program for him.

And who am I?

Dominique Weasley, middle child to Bill and Fleur Weasley's three. I'm the one who got pregnant in her Seventh Year at Hogwarts, by a Slytherin, Death Eater descendant no less; someone who was equally as rebellious and loud mouthed as she. And prior to that little incident, she has a history of getting into trouble, putting her life in dangerous situations all the time, and who has too much fight in her blood. She was mocking, slightly evil, too witty, and dangerous during most occasions.

Can you see the commotion now? Bill and Fleur didn't stand a chance with me.

"I'll just..." With a clearing of his throat, Teddy brought me back to the moment as my parents walked heatedly towards the house once more. There were angry French words echoing around, showing clear signs of disagreement from Mum's side. "I'll be in your old bedroom." And Teddy walked off, leaving me alone with his wife.

Silence grew thick almost immediately when I was left alone with Victoire. She was looking at me gently with those blue eyes, almost like if she was worried and very sympathetic of the situation. She placed a hand on my head, carefully passing her fingers through my red hair.

"...We're so different, aren't we?" She continued to run her fingers through my hair, though her eyes turned from worry to confusion.

"I hope so," I snorted back under my breath. I shook my head to shake her hand off, and then I turned towards her, our eyes meeting straight as we sat on the grass together. "I really wouldn't like being everything that you are, Vic."

She smiled at me, but I knew her well enough to know that it was the way she diverged the hurt my words caused her. She developed this method when she found that I am the only one who will ever be bluntly honest with her, and the only one who didn't think she was overall perfection. "I've always loved your hair," she instead said. "It's so red, just like Aunt Ginny's."

"Brilliant," I huffed. "I look like our aunt and you're blonde and look just like Mum. Just brilliant."

She rolled her eyes at me, letting out a tiny sigh. "I meant that you're a true Weasley, Dominique. Just like Dad is."

I snorted.

"It's why you two are always clashing with each other," she explained. "You two have the same erratic personality; always so cleverly funny, easily aggravated, intense, strong, and amazing, caring people."

"And easily annoyed when we have an extra dosage of hormones," I muttered; clearing referring to Dad's werewolf-ish characteristics.

Again, she sighed, and this time with her patience wearing thin. She was frustrated that I never gave her my full attention when she was trying to talk to me; like I was ignoring her or never found anything remotely interesting that passed through her lips. And it was not far from the truth. "My point is, Dom, that he's having a rough time with all of this."

"_He's_ having a rough time?" I let out a loud, fake chuckle. "I'm the one who is going to give birth! And unless he somehow sprouts a vagi—" I trailed off midway as soon as my older sister's cheeks turned bright pink and her eyes looked outraged. (The girl has had sex but she can't talk about it? Go figure.)

"You're his little girl, for goodness sake, Dominique," she said quite exasperated. "It was hard for him to let me go when I married Ted, but he accepted the fact that he was done raising me. But, Dom, you fail to miss the point that Dad wasn't done raising you yet when you told him...when you told him that you're on the waiting list to raise your own child." She paused for a moment, hesitation on her face; looking exactly like Dad had. Both between regret and hurt. "You're just a kid."

I frowned slightly at her. "I'm seventeen, Victoire; I'm an adult."

She frowned back. "Just because you're legal, Dominique, that doesn't make you an adult. Nothing you've done so far has prove that you are one." Whoa. Hold the muggle phone up—was Victoire being mean? Did she just insult me? "Take some responsibility, show some initiative, and then maybe you'll be taken seriously."

My jaw hung slightly open—she _was _being mean to me!

I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh with pride at this very rare moment. "Look," I began with some attitude, "don't you think I've thought this through? I didn't just scream: 'I'm pregnant! Hurray! Bring on the Firewhiskey', alright. I know what I got myself into. And, yes, I know that it's not ideal, but doesn't it count that Rowle is still in the picture? Doesn't it count that we're going to raise this kid together? Rowle is here, and he'll never leave us."

Not responding immediately, my sister let out a hefty puff of air as she rose back up onto her feet. "Dad doesn't believe he'll stay," she said in a whisper full of remorse. "He hasn't seen any action from Derrick Rowle or you to prove that both of you are capable to do this. He isn't convinced that you'll be taken care of."

"What are you suggesting, then?" I lowered my back fully on the grass, trying not to see those blue eyes of hers that reminded me of Mum's. I had enough of Mum's pity stares, I don't need them from Victoire too. "That I present Bill with a three-foot parchment with the goals of my life?"

She shook her head, the wind pushing her beautiful, blonde hair in all directions. "I suggest you do something drastic, Dominique. Something that will show Dad that you aren't that immature girl that hangs from trees when she's bored."

"And what's that, sister?" I asked carelessly, closing my eyes and trying to sound her out now. She was probably going to suggest I give up the baby, go to the Muggle world and pass as a nun.

"Get married."

My eyes open immediately—Merlin says: _what the fuck_!


	7. The Worries and Twists

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 7: **The Worries and Twists**  
**

**POV: **Al

She was leaning against the corridor wall, arms crossed and a serious expression on her pale face. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, honey-colored strands framing her perfect face as her blue eyes twinkled an almost navy by the dim light of the hallway. It was nighttime and she was out of her school uniform; sporting a pair of shorts that revealed her long, white legs and a Puddlemere United jersey that looked strange on her.

And that's how I found her as I tried walking in a straight line after exiting the wall that hid the Slytherin headquarters.

"Hey, Nia." I smiled at my girlfriend, trying to keep myself in check as I kept a distance between us. "What are you doing so far from the Gryffindor Tower?"

Nia sighed, pushing herself away from the wall she was resting her back against as she inched closer to me. "I'm bored," she said with a small groan. "I want to do something."

I took a step back from her carefully. "Well, why don't you find Rose or something? Have yourself a girls night."

"Rose is tutoring again," she snorted. "And don't even ask about Emily. She's having a 'date' with your bloody brother." She took a step towards me again and I took another back. She frowned now. "I was thinking that you and I could do something before curfew ends?"

I cleared my throat, trying to meet those intense eyes. "Yeah, well, I'd like to, love, but I...I've got to study for my exam tomorrow. I can't afford to get a bad mark. Mum would kill me, and you know she's already being wary with me since the whole wedding thing."

A light blush crawled onto her cheeks; no doubt due to the embarrassment. It wasn't everyday your boyfriend's mother suggested you not be sexually active with her son. "Well, then I can help you. If it's for Transfiguration you know I'm brilliant on it. I just don't want to be alone."

She gave me a pout, which was strange for her, seeing as she would usually frown until she got her way. It was cute, and I was almost tempted to grab her and find a place to cuddle, but the warm feeling in my chest that was not caused by her presence reminded me that I needed to get her far away from here.

"Sorry, Nia," I said gently, "but I can't."

"Why the hell not?" Ah, there's my fiery girl.

"It's because...Well, Freddie's in there with me and he's crying." She narrowed her eyes and I knew I had to continue fast before she snapped or I gave myself away. "James and Louis keep bothering him about not finding a girlfriend, and you know he can be a bit sensitive. I'm just trying to make him feel better. He's my cousin, and such a sweet bloke."

She raised a blonde brow at me, taking another step towards me; almost threateningly. Her eyes looked deeply at me, trying to find something, maybe the truth, and I held my breath, trying not to give anything away. And once she couldn't find anything, _thank Merlin_, she let out another annoyed groan. "I believe that," she said with a huff. "James is off with Emily, Louis crept up to the girls' dormitories to have some alone time with McLaggen. Poor, Fred. Those two are such assholes."

I smiled at her. (That was surprisingly easy.) And with a bit of courage and collective calm, I walked towards her and killed the inches that separated us. "I'm sorry, Nia," I whispered softly, putting my arms around her waist. "I'll spend all day with you tomorrow, okay."

She gave me one of her rare smiles, the kind that made her glow angelically. "Alright. I suppose I can find something else to do." She glanced up at me with questioning in her blue eyes. "Have you seen Liam, by the way? I saw your bratty sister, but she was with Hugo and Roxanne. Maybe he'll hang out with me."

"Um, no. Sorry."

She nodded nonchalantly and then threw her arms around my neck. "Well, I'll leave you, Potter. Go back to being a good person."

"I love you," I said before bending down and giving her lips a quick kiss. She wanted to prolong it, but I couldn't risk that so I put her at arm's length. "Have a good night, Nia. See you tomorrow."

She frowned at my brush-off. "Yeah, see you."

I waved my palm at her after she untangled her arms from around me and I watched her march away towards the other end of the corridor. And once she was far enough, and the sound of her footsteps were distant echoes, I hurriedly turned back to the wall. Muttering the password quickly, I stumbled my way into the common room.

"Did you get rid of her?" Was what I heard the moment I headed towards the lonely area by the fireplace.

"Surprisingly," I replied. "She was a bit lonely, actually. I almost felt bad."

With a scoff, the person sitting next to me handed me a bottle. "Too bad, Potter. If we ditched our girlfriends you had to too."

I rolled my eyes at Malfoy and yanked the bottle of Firewhiskey from his hands. It was the third one down, and the one adding to the fact that my vision was blurry and that there was a calmness in my bones that made me slouch down on the leather couch in the Slytherin common room.

From across from my best friend and I was Greengrass and Zabini. Both looked exactly like what I imagined Malfoy and I did—wasted. But seeing as every drunk was different than the last, Liam was the only one who looked slightly upset about the entire situation. His brown eyes looked guilty, and I knew a worried comment was going to come from him at any second.

"This is not going to end well." There it was. "We all told different lies, we're going to get caught. And there's going to be one foul Slytherin who's going to start yapping about me, a Gryffindor, being in here. Lily and Nia will kill me."

Malfoy snorted. "Zabini, give my cousin the bottle. He's annoying when he worries."

Sluggishly, Zabini tossed another bottle of liquor towards the lion in the snake pit. "If all of Harper's friends are currently unavailable, do you think she's going to go find Scamander? Because I know how much you'd hate that, Potter."

"Don't kill the mood!" Malfoy snapped at the dark-skinned boy. "This is supposed to be a worry-free zone! We did not steal this crate of Firewhiskey from the kitchens for nothing! I've had a rough month, alright; I just want to distress."

I slouched further in my seat. Thinking over Zabini's comment, I sipped more on the bottle of golden-liquid without feeling the burn anymore. Should I be worried that Nia and Lorcan Scamander are friends? Well, my sober-side of the brain says yes, that the slimy git _is _after my girlfriend; but the drunk-side says no, my girlfriend loves _me _and doesn't even look at the slimy git twice when I'm around. She's just a good person, a good friend. And she always seems to be the defender of the underdog; that's why she keeps Scamander around.

"I love her," I breathed, blinking slowly. "She's so pretty."

"She has an unhinged personality," Scorpius said from next to me, taking the bottle from my tingling fingers. "But I can't deny she's beautiful. Too bad that when she opens her mouth she instills fear. If it wasn't for that I would have attempted something."

"Oi!" Lifting himself from his own slouching, Liam frowned at his cousin as I chuckled.

"She's great," I interjected. "I love her attitude. She's not afraid to say it how it is. Besides, she's great."

Malfoy looked at me blankly, not before scoffing at my statement. "You already said that."

"But I really mean it." I was blinking slowly again, feeling more ease inside of me. It was like I was there, but at the same time I wasn't. I couldn't even really understand what was coming out of my mouth, but there it went. Word after word. "She just does something to me, mates. Can't even explain it. I just know that I love it. The way she kisses me...touches me...She fucking looked delectable in her shorts and Puddlemere United shirt right now. I can't stay away from her."

Zabini grimaced at my comment, but both cousins in our little gathering started coughing loudly. One was choking on his liquor, flushing pink, and the other was roaring hysterically in loud guffaws.

"That is great!" Malfoy kept laughing. "Puddlemere—fucking funny!"

Narrowing my eyes at them I asked, "what the hell are you going on about?"

Liam reached for the bottle Zabini was drinking from, and he occupied himself by downing some of the alcohol and not looking at me. However, Malfoy was the one who was finding this entire situation amusing so he turned to me with a crooked grin. "That quidditch jersey is Liam's." His cheeks inflated from holding on to his laughter. "She kept it since Fourth Year, when she had an impromptu sleepover with him and she didn't have an pajamas with her. They slept on the same bed, you know."

"What the hell, Greengrass!"

The Gryffindor looked up at me warily, the effect of the Firewhiskey wearing off. "That was two years ago, Al. You two hadn't even known you liked each other then. Besides, she's my best friend."

"And this is about the time it stops being a worry-free zone." Getting up from his seat, Zabini stretched and picked up his disregarded tie and school-robes. "I'm going to leave you lads before this turns ugly. I've got an early breakfast date with my Roxy, and I am not going to show up with a hangover."

"Don't be a tosser, Zabini," Malfoy snapped. "It was your idea to drink and unload from the amount of schoolwork we've had. Sit down, have another sip."

As Lucas shook his head no, Greengrass stood too. "Yeah, I'll think I'll follow Zabini's plan. Rose is usually up until late studying in the common room, and if I return piss-drunk there will be hell to pay."

"I love my girl." Malfoy elbowed me, no longer paying attention to his cousin. "Now that's a girl who's beautiful, no matter the retorts and know-it-all remarks that come out of her perfect mouth. She's just amazing."

"...And I'm the sap," Zabini muttered before walking away and heading towards the direction our dormitory.

I waved a hand at him, and then gave Greengrass the finger as he walked towards the exit of the Slytherin dungeons. He muttered something in his defense but I didn't hear it. I was a downright jealous git, wasn't I?

At the empty common room now, Scorpius shot off from our couch and headed to the one that his cousin and Zabini left open across from us. He grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey, a greedy smirk on his face, and then he tossed himself on the seat like a royal, smarmy bastard. (Alcohol clearly brought out the stereotypical Malfoy in him.)

He began sipping on the bottle, shooting it back like it was Pumpkin Juice. He paid me no mind for a couple of minutes; he just tapped his foot and muttered lyrics to a song we heard on the wireless last night when we had a mandatory and frustrating tutoring session with Rose. I crossed my arms, frowning, not even reaching for my free bottle. And it was almost seven minutes of silence after that he looked towards me.

"Come off it, Potter," he said with an eye-roll. "You can't seriously say you're upset because Harper has one of Liam's shirts."

My frown deepened. "Of course I can! Why the hell does she seem to love everyone! And why do they all have to be bloody _guys_? She could have more witches as friends if she wanted."

Before taking another gulp of his bottle he snorted at me. "No, mate, she couldn't. You seem to be forgetting who you're girlfriend is. She's intimidating, demanding, and unapproachable. It's a miracle Rose and Emily are her friends." He took another drink of Firewhiskey. "Besides, Liam is harmless, you know that. He's all...whatever he is with your little sister. And Scamander? Please, the bloke doesn't know how to do one mean thing. He's not after your girlfriend."

"You don't know that."

He was about to take another shot of liquor, but he lowered the bottle away from his mouth. There was an annoyed expression on his face. "What is it with you Potters and your knack for thinking so little of yourselves and the girls you're with? Have a little fucking confidence."

"If Lysander Scamander started chasing after Rose's skirts again you wouldn't be taking it lightly either, Malfoy. Especially since she's still friendly with him."

"That Gryffindor isn't a threat to me," he said instantly, without even taking a moment to think over an answer. "Rose loves me and I love her. And she's amazing; I'm aware she attracts some blokes to her. Who wouldn't look at her?"

"Your point?" I snapped. I didn't want to hear about what boys thought about my favorite cousin.

He smirked a little at my annoyance. "My point is that our relationship has a little thing Rose calls _trust_. Try it, Potter."

I sighed. Glancing down at the bottle of alcohol, I ran a fingertip over the opening. "...I get the feeling she's going to let me down." I kept my eyes down and my voice low. No need for Malfoy to see my insecurity. "And not to sound like a twat or anything, but I...I really love her. I won't be able to take it if she ever does decide to leave me."

"You _are _a twat," Malfoy responded, his tone sounded back to being irritated. "And a stupid one at that. Harper loves you, mate. She's not going to leave you or disappoint you. She'll make you go deaf with her yelling and bossy attitude, but she won't ever leave you."

I lifted the bottle and swung back a giant gulp as I stood from the leather couch. And after letting the alcohol fall down to the pit of my stomach, not minding the burning that the trail left behind, I looked at my best friend. "You think so?"

"I know so," he said nodding, also standing. "You're a great bloke, Potter. Embrace that, and toughen up."

Without knowing why I did it—and I'll probably claim it was the Firewhiskey—I reached over to Malfoy and grabbed his face with both my hands; bottle and all. "Love you too, mate." And I kissed him.

Laughing as he shoved me away, making me fall on the common room floor, my Firewhiskey spilling, all I could remember after that was the kick to my side Malfoy sent me and the comfortable sensation of the ground as my eyes fluttered close.

**X**

"...This dirty lot looks more dimwitted than the last." As soon as the Sixth Year class of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, a drawling, growling, disgusted voice wasn't masked or silenced; making the voice echo around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

And upon entering the classroom with me, Malfoy let out a giant groan as he noticed who that voice belonged to. "Why in Merlin's holy disco-pants is he still here?"

"You two," ignoring my best friend for a moment, I placed my schoolbag on top of the desk that Malfoy and I have claimed as our own for the past five years; where two lanky Ravenclaws had the quaffles to sit at. "I've got a raging hangover and I'm not in any mood to hex either of you. You got five seconds to get the hell out of our seats."

The two Ravenclaws looked at another and it took them about two and a half seconds to scurry out of their seats. They knew they didn't stand a chance against us, they were the typical studious, book-loving Ravenclaws who still clung to their baby-fat.

"It's almost been a damn month and the old sod and his cat are ruining my term!" Continuing with his rant, Malfoy carelessly picked up the book one of the Ravenclaws left behind and chuckled it at them.

"Git!" One of them called.

I snickered and took my seat as I looked at the front of the classroom where Argus Filch, the extremely old, scary-looking, and fucking irritating Care Taker of Hogwarts stood with his cat. "Look on the bright side, mate—it's been a month and we've yet to see Professor Alan's stupid face. This is the life right here." I kicked my legs up and threw them over the desktop casually.

Malfoy made a face that disagreed with me. It had been more than a month since our return to Hogwarts and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was said to be on a short temp-relief. And as much as I'd hope that they sacked the only geezer, the Headmistress had informed that he was away on matters for the school but that he'd be back soon. So since then, alternating between a few teachers, sometimes Filch came in and supervised the lesson when no teachers were available. Needless to say, some people with love for their education and time—and some who secretly cared too much about it, like Scorpius—were aggravated when they saw Filch instead of the regular teacher or a substitute.

"Well, well, well." Turning my head to the left my vision was filled with the smug eyes of Lucas Zabini. Like usual, he was taking the desk right next to mine and Malfoy's. He lowered his schoolbag casually, and then he dropped his textbook—making a loud _BAM_. Malfoy and I winced. "I'm surprised to see both of you here. How's the hangover?"

"Fuck off," I snapped with a glare on my face, my headache pounding. Zabini had been the goody-two-shoes that went off to bed after the rendezvous with the mates went from casual drinking to shot after shot, let's-get-piss-drunk-like-we-have-no-care-in-the-world. And all because he and my cousin Roxanne were going to meet up for breakfast and he didn't want to 'disappoint' her; the bloody tosser.

He smiled happily at me, mockingly. "Heard you snogged Malfoy. Are you going to be telling your girlfriend that? I don't think she'll fancy it."

Scorpius was about to lower his head when I elbowed him roughly on the ribs. "Did you tell everyone, you twat?!"

"I was a little drunk still when I went back to the dormitory. Can't be blamed, can I?"

I scowled at both of my best friends. "Screw both of you. It was a you're-like-my-brother kiss, alright. I'm into blondes, but not Malfoy."

My two house-mates shared a look and laughed loudly. Idiots. "Anyway," Zabini spoke again, "when the hell are we getting a proper teacher? I'm tired of seeing Filch and his stupid cat." He sat down on his desk, narrowing his eyes at the creature in front of the classroom as students still continued to come in; all of them in no rush to get to class. "You'd think it would die by now; considering how many times it's been the target of pranks and your dad petrifying it."

"First off, my Uncle George has a theory that Filch fed it the Elixir of Life." I pointed a finger to Mrs. Norris' red eyes, trying to prove my point. "Secondly, piss off. My dad didn't petrify that cat. A giant basilisk did, alright. Read a modern history book for once, Zabini."

Lazing about, since the classroom was half full, most of the Slytherins missing, my friends and I continued to casually slouch on the desks. "How'd it go with Weasley this morning, Lucas? Did you tell her about our little drunken night?" Malfoy asked in that casual, let's-kill-time voice.

"Don't call it that. It makes it sound like we had a one night-er, Malfoy. And you and Potter were the cozy ones." I was about to protest again, but Zabini spoke again. "As much as I like to prove that I'm a much better boyfriend to my girlfriend than the two of you are to yours, we're mates. I respect the code."

"Wise move. Roxanne is the biggest gossip. Nia would know I skipped out on studying while I drank up in my common room."

Zabini nodded at that. As much as he cared for my cousin, no one could deny that Roxy had the biggest mouth since Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. (Whoever they were. But that's what Aunt Hermione always said.) "But it went well. We have plans to sneak up to the Room of Requirement after dinner."

I narrowed my eyes instantly. This was the problem with my best friends—they were dating my cousins. Hell, even Greengrass was dating my sister! We just can't talk about relationships without my overprotective Weasley side taking over and making my fists shake with the desire to punch them on the jaw.

"Oh, relax," Zabini said with a scoff as soon as he caught my frown. "I assure you you've gone further with Malfoy than I have with Roxy." And again, I was about to protest and defend myself, because it was just a harmless kiss to show my appreciation—and I was drunk!—but he spoke before I could get the chance. "I actually like your cousin, Potter. And I'm taking this slow, like a gentleman. Not like I can say the same about you, I swear Liam doesn't want to look at you after what you said you and Nia do."

I felt a little bit of guilt in my chest. I shouldn't have lied to the guys the way I did, but...Sometimes being a bloke turns you into a complete tosser and you think you need to uphold some kind of manly-card to ensure that you are one.

"...I am a gentleman with Nia. I love her."

"You love to _jump _her," Zabini replied, speaking in a tone like if he was correcting my previous statement with the truth.

I frowned. "Oi, shut it. Just because Nia and I have a bit of an intense relationship doesn't mean that I don't treat her accordingly. I do love her, and more than anything.."

"—Oh, what a load of bollocks. Everyone knows that Albus Potter is a complete inept at relationships. I'm surprised it's last this long anyway." Grimacing at the voice that had drifted into my eardrums from behind me, I hesitantly turned to face the unavoidable. And that included a pair of eyes and a face I hadn't really taken the time to encounter for the past four months. "If I was capable of it, I'd actually feel bad for that moron of his."

Finally, my green eyes met the ones of Evanna Nott. My ex-girlfriend.

"Alright there, Evanna?"

"Fucking _fantastic_, Potter. Thanks for fucking asking," she snapped at me. There was complete hatred dripping from her words and stretching on her pale features.

Merlin's sake. What the hell did I do? This is the first time I've spoken to her, and I thought we left off in somewhat good terms when she broke up with me last year!

As other Ravenclaws backed away from Evanna, one of the few courageous ones approached her without a look of worry. She settled her belongings next to the open seat next to the enraged girl, giving us a bright smile.

"Hey, Gracen," Malfoy was the first to greet her.

The very pretty witch with hair black as night, button-like nose, pink cheeks that rose high, and staggering green eyes returned my mate's smile and greeting. It was Gracen Goyle, a girl I had briefly met during my short relationship with Evanna. She and Malfoy had a little more of a history, having been acquaintances since their fathers knew each other from childhood. She always wore a kind expression and a smile—and I was currently the target of it. "Don't be too offended, Potter. She's just a bit grouchy today."

"A bit?" I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at my ex-girlfriend who had her face buried in her arms and the desktop. "Is she on her period or something? She's being a downright bi—"

_Smack!_

"Oi!" Holding onto the side of my head, I threw deadly daggers at Malfoy as he pulled back his wand; after smacking me with it.

"Please try to be your usual humanitarian, charming self, Potter. I know the hangover is a bit of a bitch right now, but don't let it throw off your wits. Finish that comment and Nott would've hexed you three years back. And since I'm currently sitting next to you, I rather I not be involved if it happened."

Evanna groaned incoherent words into the wood of her desk. We all glanced at her, a little warily. She was usually sarcastic, but she was always very charming too. Who the hell knows what's wrong with her now.

"In our Transfiguration lesson with the Gryffindors, the professor divided us into two groups in the debate we were having over transfiguring solids and mixtures. It was supposed to be fun, until Evanna and Harper somehow became the only ones playing." Leaning a little closer to my friends and I, Gracen Goyle continued to whisper carefully. "She lost by three questions to Harper. You can't blame her for being upset, can you?"

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "That's silly. Why would she think she has to win something over Nia?"

"_Why_ you ask?" Lifting her head up from her desktop, clearly having been hearing the entire interaction with her friend, Evanna glared like if she could murder me by just that action. "Wasn't it enough that she kissed my boyfriend, causing my relationship to end, but now she had to go and make me look like an idiot in front of everyone!"

She had whipped her wand in a swift second, pointing the tip of it at my nose. "Easy there," I breathed, my eyes open wide with caution. "Look, Evanna...I'm sorry. I thought that we ended things peacefully."

"Then you clearly don't know anything about girls," she hissed at me, removing her wand and then dropping her head back down onto her desk; her arms covering her like a cocoon.

I scratched my head, looking thoroughly perplexed. Zabini and Malfoy gave me a shrug of the shoulders, both looking confused like I was. However, Gracen looked at me gently. "It's also that time of the month.".

**X**

When it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts, one was usually here ten minutes before the lesson even started because Professor Alan was a downright bastard, and if you were even a second late it was detention and fifteen points off. But since the irritating man had been missing for weeks, especially if word got out that it was Filch who was supervising, it took almost forty minutes into the regular lesson before everyone was gathered and seated. (And by that I mean carefree, snooty Slytherins.)

So with forty minutes gone in the hour and a half class, we were already on the hour when Filch started exclaiming loudly. "And there you have it, you ignorant lot. That's how you do it." He stabbed the chalkboard repeatedly as he underlined some of his sentences.

As everyone looked at the board, where he had written the step by step instructions on how to maintain the corridor floors especially clean, even where he enlisted cleaning supplies that were better than other brands to do the trick, there was a thick silence in the classroom. There was nothing but the undeniable boredom.

Malfoy's chin suddenly slipped from his palm, which had been holding it up, and the side of his face landed on the desk. He continued to sleep and the look on Filches face grew with more angry wrinkles and warts.

"Ungrateful little brats!" Here we go. "Do you know how much time I spend cleaning after you spoiled, dirty lot! A lot! I'm teaching you the tricks that will give you great assistance when the moment comes! You'll be eaten alive out there without any proper technique, you mongrels!"

"Excuse me, Mister Caretaker?" From the corner of my eye I saw a fellow Slytherin, no idea what his name was, raise his hand to get some attention. "I'm just wondering why you assume we want to learn this. Don't get me wrong now, we all deeply value that you clean up after our owls and such, but none of us are going to be heading into a...cleaning profession."

Filch snorted loudly and disgustingly. There was absolutely no amusement on his old face. And by the way his thin, grey hair was parted away from his face, the sweat and boils on his skin was a constant reminder of that Uncle George's inventions did work and even left side-effects. "Listen, you little ghoul; I doubt that the entire lot of you will finish Hogwarts with a certification. Half of you are as stupid as trolls. I'll be expecting some of you filthy, snooty selves to have their wands snapped in two by the end of this term. You bunch of conniving, little—"

"That's enough." At the sound of that familiar voice, everyone started turning back towards the door of the classroom where Professor Alan, in all of his pathetic galore, stood. There was a look of triumph, smugness, as a few dedicated students looked at him with relief. Even Malfoy had woken up looking relieved."Thank you, Mister Filch, but you're free to leave now."

A snarl curled my lip as Lorcan Scamander, the git, stretched a hand out to the professor and shook it. The boy was a kiss-ass, I don't care what Nia said. He was a prat.

"Don't pee yourself with excitement, Potter," Malfoy snickered as he could see my annoyed expression.

"I hate that asshole."

"I'd ask which one, but I'm just going to say the feeling is definitely mutual." Malfoy looked away from where I was glaring at the teacher and Scamander. "On Alan's behalf that is. He hates you right back."

I snorted, turning away from the professor and Filch exchanging a few words. "So you admit that Alan hates me? Good. Mind telling that to the Headmistress so they'll sack him?"

As Scorpius rolled his eyes, one of the girls behind us took the chance to add her opinion. "Of course he hates you, Potter. You have been a complete smarmy, annoying tosser for the past couple of years with him. You don't take him seriously when he's teaching."

"And when did you start taking him seriously, Nott? I was under the impression you thought he was rubbish in his job like I was." I frowned at the Ravenclaw, no longer caring to be careful with her. It wasn't my fault that she was still holding onto the grudge of our breakup. She was the one who wanted it, the one who said she knew that I'd been in love with Nia all along. She can't turn around and hold that against me, could she?

She returned the frown equally. "Yeah, but then I decided I hated you more and it gave Professor Alan and I something in common."

At the fact that her eyes were burning brightly, like there honestly was truth in her words, I recoiled. I didn't want her to hate me. I did care about her, still do, mind you.

At the removal of my frown, Evanna did away with hers too. "Sorry, Al," she mumbled hesitantly, after being elbowed by Gracen with a scolding stare. "I don't...I don't really hate you. I'm just still a little...It's been an off day, okay?"

Without giving me a chance to say anything, not that I had anything to say, Alan's voice rung among the walls of the classroom as he took his rightful place at the front. "Alright, vacation time is over."

"Professor?" Turning for a quick second, I saw Olivia Boot, another Ravenclaw, raise her hand and call for the blonde man with a stupid ponytail we sadly had for a teacher. "Is it true you've been ill?"

Oh, Merlin bless my soul if Professor Alan had a deadly dose of Dragon Pox.

"Thank you for the concern, Miss Boot, but I haven't been ill," the professor replied, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "I have been in Spain, handling a few transactions for the Headmistress, actually. I've been showing around two—ah, here they are!"

Instantly, all eyes moved from the teacher to the entrance of the classroom.

"These are your two new classmates: Octavio and Ophelia De la Cruz."

Chatter broke out around the classroom as the two figures by the entrance stepped further into the room and they became clear to the prying eyes of my classmates. The first thing I saw, and the first thing that was being whispered about, was the shiny Slytherin badges on the robes of the students.

Following them as they moved to the front of the classroom, I had to shake my head so I could stop gawking at them like they were the strangest thing to ever happen at Hogwarts. It was true that the castle was huge and filled with students, but after a while you started remembering faces, people's names—so to receive two new students this late into the term was unheard of.

"Octavio and Ophelia De la Cruz are new to Britain because of the new job their guardian has taken in our Ministry. As such, I expect all of you to be as welcoming and proper as the Headmistress expects you to be, and good classmates and people with our new students. Right now..."

The rest of what Alan was saying buzzed out of my hearing as I inspected the two new students. They were twins. Both had feathery, black hair: the boy's reached his eyes in that bed-head way we all seem to have when we get older, and the girl's reached her elbows in complete straight, black curtains. They were both average-height, tanned skinned, thick brows, and wide-eyed.

My breath hitched in my throat for a second—the girl had turned to me and she dug her almost black eyes into my green ones.

I gulped.

"—Well, what do we have here?" Interrupting the moment by pushing his ugly face into my peripheral vision, Professor Alan's frown found me when he realized that he wasn't holding the new girl's attention. "Mister Potter, so you've managed to make it this far into my class, have you? I see the Headmistress paid no mind to my insistence for you two repeat your O.W.L class."

All eyes landed on me. And at the twitch of my fingers, Malfoy, being my best mate, took my wand from my pocket before I reached for it and did something as wickedly stupid as hex the professor.

I crossed my arms casually, throwing my legs over my desk. "Well, I am a Potter, Professor Alan. We sort of are destined for greatness, no matter what greasy, big nosed teachers assume."

"Family history," he took a few steps closer to me, almost shoving the new Slytherins twins from his path, "isn't everything, Mister Potter. It'd do you good if you remembered that."

"And maybe it'd do you good, Professor, if you remembered that I can still outsmart you."

As soon as my smirk appeared on my face, the teacher's grew with fury. "Ten points from Slytherin," he hissed through the murmurs the class had broken into due to my comeback. "And detention for a week for such cheek, Mister Potter. One more out of you and the Chosen One will hear that he has a brat as a son."

"Well, at least you didn't hex him," Scorpius muttered with a sigh, handing me back my wand. "And here I thought your brother was the one that loved his Potter fame."

I ignored my best friend as my focus went back to a pair of alluring, dark eyes. They found me instantly, and a wicked smile accompanied the gaze from their owner.

It seemed like the plot-twist had arrived.


	8. Bested by Gryffindors

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 8:** Bested by Gryffindors**  
**

**POV:**Scorpius

If there were two things that have _never _happened in the history of being Scorpius Malfoy it was begging and listening to a Gryffindor. (Especially one who wasn't a girlfriend.) So with that mentality and way of being for the past sixteen years of life, why the hell was I currently sitting in a chair I've never sat in in all my life, and why the hell was I making a face that suggested deep pleading? I was sure that my grandfather Lucius was rolling in his grave for such a distasteful expression on my inherited Malfoy-features.

None of this would have happened if I hadn't decided to stick around to have dinner last night with the Gryffindors when the only three Gryffindors I care about—my girlfriend Rose, my best friend Emily, and my cousin Liam—were stuck in the library going through large amount of textbooks and old articles for a Defense Against the Dark Arts project they'd been partnered up for. Instead of mingling with my fellow house-mates, listening to their pranks on those with the ruby and gold, I sat with the enemy and listened to two Weasleys and a Potter go on about relationships. And when Potter had suggested that maybe after graduation, after Emily had completed her education too, they'd find a good little flat somewhere, maybe in the Muggle World because his girlfriend was thoroughly accustomed to their electricity-powered items, I snorted.

Potter turned to me with his natural annoyance of me in his eyes, but then said something along the lines of, '_Find that funny, do you, Malfoy? You and your family might be all chummy with us and other creatures in the world, but you still believe that muggles are useless, don't you?'_

After that had happened, I should've known to just flip Potter the finger and then walk off somewhere, probably to go interrupt Al and Harper's little date in a secluded classroom on the fourth floor, but of course I didn't. I sat there, ready to explain to the oldest, dimwit Potter that I snorted because I really didn't find the thought about him and my best friend living together in the future appealing. But of course, again, I did something else that I've never done. I allowed a Potter to cut across me.

With a smirk on his stupid face, the Seventh Year Gryffindor spoke with a little too much knowledge for my liking. _'You know, Rose inherited her mother's childhood home from her grandparents. They were _muggles_, Malfoy. And she's always talked about living there, even going into a muggle university once she's out of Hogwarts. I wonder how long you two will last when you're not allowed to bring a house-elf to do everything for you.'_

And that's how I failed at being a Malfoy. I listened to a Potter's teasing, half ass-ed words and I skipped out on my first break of the day to come and talk to the less enchanting teacher in the entire castle. (I deserved the shame, honestly.)

"We're six weeks into term, Mister Malfoy." The beady, dark eyes of Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, looked at me with complete seriousness and no sympathy; even through my puppy-dog eyes. "I cannot move around your schedule when I've never allowed that for other students. Your classes for this year were chosen due to your scores in your O.W.L's and your aim at a future career."

I nodded calmly at the elder woman. "I know, Headmistress," I began, "but I really do think I can afford to drop one of my electives. It won't change any of the required classes, and I promise to work hard. I can even talk to the professor; I'm sure he'll allow it."

"You have an impeccable schedule here, Mister Malfoy," she pointed a finger at my timetable resting before her, "and I don't think that switching anything will be beneficial. I'm sorry."

The ending of the conversation was a second away from being rung when she slid over the schedule towards me, but I reacted fast. "Wait, wait," I said hurriedly, standing from my chair and looking thoroughly conflicted. "My choice of career in the years to come is to study business—"

"Particularly because you have a dynasty of business corporations to run in your future. Yes, Mister Malfoy, I'm aware."

I frowned at her momentarily. I wasn't going to study business because I had the Malfoy businesses to run! Yes, it was an inherited duty that I take over them once my father retires, but it's also something I'm generally interested in. The Headmistress' stereotypical thought was not appreciated.

"Anyway," I had to control myself not to snap since I still needed her on my side. "I really do think I can afford to drop Divination for Muggle Studies, Professor. I won't be needing Divination for the field I plan to study, and neither Muggle Studies for that matter, but the latter can really prove beneficial."

"How so?"

Fuck. "Erm, well... I do think that Muggle Studies will influence my lifestyle in the years to come."

She rose a grey, barely-there eyebrow at me. "You plan to integrate yourself in muggle society?"

"I'm inclined to, yeah." Even though I responded that, did I even know if that was true? I mean, Rose never discussed moving into that house her grandparent's left her; nor did I feel inclined to learn all about muggles and their ways before. Why was I doing this? As I precaution in case Rose wouldn't ditch me if she somehow thought I didn't appreciate the fact that she has muggle blood in her, or was I doing this to shut James Potter's mouth? "...And because, thinking broadly here, Professor, I might even want to expand my family's corporations to the muggle world." (Yes, that was a better, believable answer.)

"If you were ever to do something like that, Mister Malfoy, you will be making history." The woman relaxed into her royal-looking chair as she pulled back my schedule to her. "You're father has been working hard for years to restore your family's name, and he's done admirably in doing so. Draco Malfoy is a changed man, that I am aware of, but you, his legacy, will further prove that he had redemption and a good heart. He's raised you well."

I deflated, sagging back onto my chair. The old witch was giving me her dim smile, her words actually complimentary, and I felt like a complete twat.

It'd be a lie if I didn't say that I've tried to make my own choices and personality differ from that of my father's during his time at school. It isn't easy being a Malfoy on some occasions, especially when there's people who don't move on from the war, who still mourn what they lost, and who still point fingers at the people who were responsible for that destruction toll. I got pointed at, glared at, shoved some times, judged for my surname, sometimes not given a chance, and it was hard but not so wounding as I got older. I expected things to get better with time, they had for my father—though not respected in every circle out in the world, he was cared for in the pure ones; by the people that knew he had redeemed himself and was worth a second chance. But with that time, I guess I never really acknowledged the fact that he's worked hard at it.

And I was here for some rubbish reasons, pretending to add to the cause and change. (Fucking Potter. He'll pay for this.)

Before my conscience decided to speak up and make a mess over the one I had already created by not thinking, the door to the Headmistress' office banged open. Turning in an angle, I got a flash of blonde hair and blazed eyes.

"Miss Harper!"

"He kicked me out!" Not bothering to see the old woman's infuriated eyes for such disruption, Nia Harper started shouting with so much feeling and hurt in her voice that if I hadn't been looking at her, I wouldn't have known that it was her. She was never anything but controlled and bossy. "That bloody, poor-excuse of a man threw me out!"

McGonagall was never the woman to show sympathy for other students, especially ones disrespectful and abrupt, but she surprised me when she dropped a little bit of her anger. "What happened?"

From my chair, almost like I was background and no one noticed that I was there anymore, I saw thick tears fall from Harper's blue eyes. Her usually rosy cheeks were far more pigmented than normal, her hands were shaking, and she looked far from composed. "He's barmy, that's what!" She cried more. "He was going on and on about the damn Goblin Rebellions again, and for Merlin's sake, Professor, we need to move it along! It's a N.E.W.T class! And I told him so, and the bloody old ghost lost it! He started ranting like a mad man and then he decided to chuck me!

"How is it my fault he's incompetent?! I'm a Sixth Year, exams and Seventh Year aren't far, and I can't waste my time! I want to learn, Professor! And he just drifts off like we can afford to waste that time—well, he's fucking dead! Of course _he _can! But the rest of us still have plenty of life ahead of us!"

Harper was still shaking, tears still falling from her eyes, and the Headmistress looked at her impassively. "Professor Binns has been teaching in this castle for centuries, Miss Harper," her tone was mild. "However, I do know that Cutbert can be a bit nonchalant in his teachings, but you still owe him some respect. Had you the need to express your displeasure in his class, all you had to do was talk to me and handle this situation correctly."

The blonde girl pressed her lips into a tight line, but her tears were still rolling down. She didn't look angry like she usually did, but she truly looked wounded. "I need that class, Headmistress," her voice cracked with emotion; something that I've never encountered on her before. "If he doesn't take me back I can't take the N.E.W.T's and...and...There goes my future! I've worked hard, Professor, you know that!"

"I'm aware of your struggles, Miss Harper," the woman replied almost blankly. And just as I assumed that she was going to kick the crying girl down, McGonagall rose up from her chair. "Class should be finishing up right about now. I'll go have a word with Professor Binns."

Harper nodded her head, but she kept it down as the Headmistress left the office. Her shoulders were shaking, and I knew that she was crying as silently as she could.

It was more than awkward now. I've always encountered the Nia Harper with all that sass, the bitchiness, and the aggressiveness. I wasn't really aware she could cry. Al must be the only one to get to see different sides of this girl, but as someone who always just received frowns and snorts of distaste, this was all but odd.

"Binns is a downright tosser." The words left my mouth before I even thought thoroughly about what I should do. Obviously I should've snuck out, the girl wasn't even aware I was in the room—but of course these Gryffindors make me stupid. "I'm sure McGonagall will sort everything out."

Harper turned to face me. She stopped shaking with that past distress she came in with, but trails on her cheeks were still kept wet. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"Just came in to fix my schedule," I said carelessly. "Listen, Harper, it'll be alright. No need to cry over something as unimportant as this. I don't think a teacher can actually kick a student out of their lessons."

"That's rich," she snapped at me, those blue eyes glaring like they normally did when directed at me. "Of course this seems unimportant to _you_! What seems like petty problems to you are generally great concerns for others!"

Not helping it, I rolled my eyes. "Calm down, Harper. I'm just trying to make you see a little reason here. He can't kick you out of the class. Don't worry about it."

"How can I _not _worry about it?!" Merlin, she was just going to yell my ears off. "The school can go down the fucking toilet, Malfoy, and it wouldn't even matter for you! You have a fortune waiting for you! I don't have that luxury! I have to work hard here to be able to go to a university after!"

"Don't throw that back at me!" This really wasn't going to end well. Nia and I could just never speak like adults, there was just always so much resentment. (An emotion that just surged the first time we met since we were toddlers.) "The fact that I have money doesn't make me more important than anyone, Harper; I _know _that! I'm fucking tired of you using that as an excuse to hate me!"

She took a step closer to me, hands shaking again in anger. "Everything is just so bloody easy for you, Malfoy! And you might not think you're above everyone, but you don't realize that we can't all call our fathers to make situations better!" Tears fell down her cheeks again. And when I thought there was going to be more yelling, more useless screaming from her part, she slid down onto the open chair across from me and began sobbing into her palms.

Nia Harper is Liam's, my cousin, best friend since they were four. Nia came from a family who hated the Malfoys with every fiber of their being. And what was slightly different than the majority of the population that does hate my family is that the Harpers were pureblooded, and fallen from grace just like us—and not to mention the fact that my grandfather killed her grandfather by order of the Dark Lord. She grew up with her father's hostility towards my family, as such, she treated me like I was scum; and in retaliation, I was just as hostile.

We were sixteen now, twelve years have passed since we first met, but Harper and I don't have a friendship like with the others of our group. She's strong-minded and aggressive ninety-seven percent of the time, but she was also a girl who wanted to please her father. She kept up the hostility while I discovered that I didn't hate her, I just found our arguments amusing. And somewhere underneath her cold exterior, I know she doesn't hate me either. She's just comfortable keeping the charade, and I've learned to please her by keeping it too.

But as I saw her there, literally crying her eyes out, looking depressed over losing something that means a lot to her, it was enough to drop the charade for a few moments and be the friends we secretly are.

"...He can't kick you out of his lessons for good." I rose up from my chair and took a few steps towards her, kneeling down in front of her. "It's going to be fine."

She didn't stop crying and she didn't remove her hands from her face so her response came out muffled. "He can fail me. And if he does...I won't be able to take my N.E.W.T's for it and I'll lose the...I'll lose the scholarship I've been working for since I was eleven."

"Scholarship?" I didn't even try to take a minute to hide my confusion.

"Percy Weasley started a foundation twenty years ago to help graduates go to universities after Hogwarts," she breathed, removing her hands from her face now. Her blue eyes were rimmed red, and I was a little surprised that she was speaking to me with a whisper-like voice. "Hogwarts sends out a notice about it to families with low incomes when their child's first year starts...And in their Sixth Year, they pick twenty of those kids and they continue to pressure those with the highest marks." A few more tears fell from her eyes. "I'm _f-fifth_."

Adding this to the list of things that have never happened to Scorpius Malfoy in his sixteen years of life, I grabbed Harper's hands and squeezed them tightly. "You're brilliant," the was another for the list, "and I would've never guessed any of this, but you deserve it. And because you've work hard I know it's going to work out for you, Harper."

She looked down at our hands and I saw the conflicted expression flicker across her pale, beautiful features. Her natural reaction was to rip her hands away, curse me, but she was allowing me to comfort her. (Rather, accepting the fact that I was.) "...Don't tell Al, Liam or Rose about this," she said quietly. "I don't want them to know."

"Why not? It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"It embarrasses my father." Her blue eyes found their way to my silver ones, and as another point on my list, she wasn't actually scowling at me. She looked saddened once again, but this time there was a lot more regret in there. "...And don't tell anyone what I'm about to say either."

I raised my eyebrow.

"I don't hate you," she exhaled out through her teeth. "You know I don't, Malfoy. It's just...It's so easy to act like it, you know? I hate hypocritical people, yet I am one. And...you're a good friend."

I couldn't help it, I smirked wildly. "Can I get that in writing?" She rolled her eyes at me but laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it, Harper. About any of this."

She squeezed my hands in return so quickly that I almost thought I imagined it.

"And if McGonagall can't work it out, I can always use my fortune and make a scholarship just for you." My smirk wasn't gone; I was putting things back in their rightful place. "It'll be the I'm-Nia-Harper-And-A-Sexy-Malfoy-Sent-Me-To-School scholarship."

"You great fucking tosser," she said with an exasperated sigh as she tore her hands away from mine.

I really should've seen the punch coming.

**X**

Strolling casually into the library, looking devilishly handsome as always, even after a long day of nothing but lessons and shaming the Malfoy name, a grin tugged at my mouth when I quickly spotted what I'd been looking for.

"Well, if it isn't two of my favorite witches," I said once I got close enough. My grin was still on my face, but it got wider when mesmerizing brown eyes glanced at me; shaking my world up in their amber shade and flecks of gold that could light up an entire room.

"Hey, Scor." Rose smiled beautifully at me.

I was a complete sucker because of the way my senses started reacting. It was like every cell inside of me was coming alive by just looking at her. "Still working hard on your D.A.D.A project?" I asked. My girlfriend nodded, lifting up a book; a smile still gracing me. "Oi, Emily. A greeting would be nice, you know."

The dark-haired girl scanning through a giant book across my girlfriend said nothing. It was like she didn't even hear me.

"She's really concentrated on her part," Rose told me as she rose up off her seat. "I honestly couldn't have asked for better partners for this. Even Liam's fully dedicated. He's off talking to some of the older professors about his research."

I snorted. "Weasley, I think they do it so they won't have to deal with your anger later if you don't get anything more than an _O_ on it."

"I deserve it and you know it. And besides, I'm pushing them to their full-potential." She smirked. "Anyway, I've got to run. I need to talk to the McGonagall about getting my new tutoring schedule."

Watching her collect her belongings I frowned as I tossed myself on the seat she left open in the circular table. "Need I start failing my classes so I can spend time with you, Rose? You're doing nothing but tutoring random gits these days."

"You start failing your classes, Malfoy, and we're through." Her smirk was still tugging at her luscious lips and her brown eyes were filled with lighthearted amusement. She bent a few inches down to me, looking at me intently to bully me into something. "I love you and all, but I simply cannot be with an idiot. Besides, think about your family's companies you'll be sending down to the toilet. You're gorgeous, Malfoy, but that won't feed you once your looks fade."

"Why the hell is everyone talking about the Malfoy corporations today?! I can be a bloody Quidditch player if I wanted; I don't have to just be my father's heir."

My redheaded girlfriend laughed at my annoyance. "I'll cut my tutoring session with Louis short today, Scor. I'll see you then." She bent a few more inches and pressed her lips softly onto mine.

Some of my fellow house-mates always ask what a Slytherin could possibly see in a Gryffindor, a goody-too-shoes Weasley no less, and to that I really don't have an answer. (Not that it's any of their business anyway.) But I think that once they feel what I feel—that surge of power when Rose was close, whether an inch or a yard, the way it felt like life was complete, like_ I_ was complete—then they'd stop asking stupid fucking questions.

Waving a hand at Rose as she walked away, I waited until she was fully out of the library before focusing on anything else. And once a pack of Hufflepuffs had burst through, I turned back to the other person I'm always willing to give all my attention to. "Hey, Em—"

"I'm researching." The American picked up her giant book and tapped her index finger on the cover to emphasize her point. She still didn't bother to look at me.

"Well, can you stop for a moment? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages." Seriously, why is it that some of the most important people in my life have been M.I.A these past few days? It's not right; I need attention too.

Emily flipped the page of her book. "Why don't you just crack open your Potions book and study for a while yourself, Scorpius? I know you need it."

"I don't—"

"As much as you're your father's son, you didn't inherit his ability or love for potion-making. Not to mention your mark in the O.W.L's was horrible." She flipped another page again.

Frowning, I reluctantly placed my schoolbag over the surface of the table. "If I do promise to study, you mind giving your best friend some—"As I spoke and opened the latch of my schoolbag and some of my books and notes fell out for my lack of organizing, I groaned when I saw that a bottle of ink had also jumped out. It was currently now splattered all over me. "For fuck sakes."

"_Scourgify_." Finally looking away from her blasted book, Emily had her attention focused on the mess I made. She cast a quick spell, and soon enough bubbles of soap were washing all the ink on the table and on the material of my schoolbag with ease.

"That's why I don't come to the library," I huffed as I crossed my arms over my chest. The bubbles had disappeared and everything was perfectly clean. "Or listen to damn Gryffindors. It's all just fucking rotten luck."

"I should use that spell to wash out your mouth, Scorpius."

Seeing as her book was long forgotten, I stared right into the girl's emerald eyes as she pointed her wand at me. There was a bit of amusement glittering in her orbs and I was tempted to just smile and forget about the little incident that had just ruined my mood. "Well, if it gives me some of your time I'm all up for it."

A smiled appeared across her features. "I do miss you," she said in her usual soft tone. "I don't want you to think I'm blowing you off or anything, I just have a lot going on at the moment."

"Yeah. Between schoolwork, dealing with Rose's demands on a perfect project, and your boyfriend who hates me, I can see why I've not seen you around."

Parents are always saying to think before you talk to avoid problems, and frankly, that's a lesson I should remember. Usually I'm sensitive about other people and their feelings, and I think myself a kind bloke, but sometimes the Malfoy-blood in me really is like a plague. If I feel cheated or neglected I'll just send all care away and say something that I normally wouldn't.

In this case, I knew that speaking about James Potter and his almost obsessive love for Emily was a subject that should never be touched. It's not like Emily doesn't dabble and tells me a bit about her relationship, we are friends—it's just that that's exactly _why _we don't bring up Potter. It's no secret he doesn't like the type of relationship his girlfriend and I have, and even though it can be slightly justified, our grudge on one another isn't. To not upset the balance, we put up with each other and keep our insults when Emily's around to ourselves.

"James would never..." She let out a sigh, stopping herself as her smile and amusement died. "I would never give you up for James, Scorpius," she breathed, looking at me like she was in some sort of discomfort. "I love both of you; you know that. It's just that...James and you...You both are..."

I knitted my brows. "We both are what? If you say complicated I'm going to be upset. He's the one that doesn't like me."

Her forehead creased slightly in a frown. "He doesn't hate you," she defended. "The matter is that both of you want something from me that I can't give you. And because I can't, because the issue is with me, but you can't see _that_, you turn on each other and make it a competition."

"I don't know what you're talking about." (Fuck. I really do, though.)

"If it wasn't for James constantly being in detention, he would be sitting right across from me too and demanding some of my attention. And you know why? Because I'd probably be avoiding him the way that I'm subconsciously doing to you," she confessed. And as someone who always kept her feelings and everything bottled up, I was a little shocked at her honesty. "So you want to know what the problem with you two is? You're both trying to fix me!"

At the way her voice grew higher, making some nearby people turn, she had to give herself a moment to settle. And as she breathed in for a few seconds, I noticed that the exterior of being busy was completely shattered and now she just looked almost desperate and anxious. It was like I said something that opened up the gates and now there was a possibility of things coming out.

"I love both of you so much," she continued, but this time with that whisper-like voice of hers. "And I appreciate the fact that you two care so much about me, but you...I'm alright, okay? Both of you _need _to get that. I'm okay."

Clearing my throat, I leaned a little closer to her; putting as much sincerity into my face as I could. "Don't get me wrong, Em, but I really don't think you are." She stiffened at my words, looking conflicted and slightly panicked. "You might be all smiles on the outside and when you're around us, but we all notice you when you don't think anyone is around." She had the sleeves of her white button-up rolled up and I saw the thin, red lines that raced up her pale arms. "You're like my sister, Emily. I _know _you."

Her hands were on the tabletop and I notice her fingers twitch nervously.

"Rose and Harper have mentioned that they've woken up to your screams in the night," I went on. "You wake up looking tormented and like you've just relived all your worst memories in your dreams. That wouldn't happen if you were actually trying in your sessions with the Healer."

The dark-haired girl's expression looked saddened, like someone had just killed her puppy. "...Nothing helps," she muttered almost helplessly. "I've tried everything...Potions the Healer prescribes, methods Mister Potter uses to repress memories of the war he fought...Occumelency to close off my mind...I've tried it all, Scorpius, and the memories keep coming back."

I really wished I would've kept my mouth shut when I had the chance. The way she looked up at me, broken and scared, I felt instantly inept. She was my best friend, my sister, and the horrors of her past were the only things I can't defend her from. And maybe she's right, Potter and I—as two of the blokes that are most important in her life—do compete to try and free her of them. The reality is, however, that neither of us can help her. And that reality was complete fucking rubbish.

"I see him all the time," she spoke again, unaware of my uneasiness. "His face...I can feel what he did to me all over again and I...I can't even kiss my boyfriend without being terrified. I'm just not going to be the same."

I grabbed onto one of her hands immediately. "No one expects you to forget what Lance Greyback did to you, Emily." I winced, she winced, and then tears welled up in her eyes at the mention of the cursed name. "But we just expect you to try. Don't let the nightmares win, Em. You've got all your life ahead of you...And...I can't believe I'm saying this, but your relationship with Potter depends on it too. He hurts along with you...We all do."

Thinking that I was starting to speak coherently and wisely now, I was surprised when she tore her hand away from me. Her green eyes were still holding in tears, but there was also a furious gleam in them. "I didn't ask him to stick around!" My own eyes grew wide at her anger and choice of words. "And I didn't ask any of you to do so either! This is my problem, my pain, and all of you should just leave me alone!"

"Emily, wait! I didn't—" I was cut short when she quickly gathered her things and turned on her heels. She moved fast that by the time I decided to even do anything, she was already shoving her way through a few people.

Best friend or not, I grabbed the books and notes that fell out of my bag and shoved them back in, standing up angrily—I was not going to let another Gryffindor get the best of me. "Emily!" I called, ignoring the turning faces and the school's librarian frowning at me.

"Shh!" As I was passing I caught Alice Longbottom's glare.

"You're not even reading anything!" I snarled at her.

Her glare turned from gloomy to aggravated. "I don't care. I'm a Prefect, Malfoy, don't make me give you detention."

"Stuff it," I snapped, giving her the finger. (If three Gryffindors have already got the best of me, a Hufflepuff was certainly not going to be added to that list.) "Emily—_Uff!_" I was cut short of my irritated shout when someone collided into me.

My schoolbag was knocked down from my shoulder. And since I didn't bother to close the bloody thing up when I stuffed everything in there, everything in there came out from it. "For fuck sakes! Can't you bloody well look where you're going?!" I hissed, stomping on one of my books in my frustration.

I bent down to collect my belongings when I found someone already doing so for me. We were both on the ground, kneeling to pick up my things, and then unfamiliar blue eyes looked right into my greys ones. They were not light and icy like Nia's, but they were almost dark like a murky sky.

"...I'm sorry for my outburst," I mumbled with a little shame. "I should've really been—"

"Malfoy, will you leave already?! I'm trying to sit here!" Alice Longbottom shouted at me, looking more threatening than before.

I rolled my eyes at the Hufflepuff. "There's bloody miles of sitting-space outside, Longbottom! Go get lost in some!" I turned away from her as soon as I felt my schoolbag being thrust into my hands. "Oh, you didn't have to—" But my thanks would've been in vain and unheard. That girl with the strange eyes was long gone.


	9. The Joke

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 9: **The Joke**  
**

**POV:**Lily

Though many people could say that the newest generation of Weasley and Potter descendants were completely chaotic and unstable, some of us actually were quite the opposite underneath all that crazy. In the whirlwind of things, if I ever sat down and took the time to ponder logically about my relatives, I could see why they just go with it; why they just live life. We do come from a family that literally had to watch their backs every few minutes to make sure someone wasn't coming with Death tagging along, and because of that, they sort of passed on the motto that life is short; make the best of it.

And as much as we all try to go by that rule, some descendants were just incredibly stupid and I pitied them. Life was a grand ol' adventure, sure, but some of us really didn't want to end up working for Uncle George and his shop while time is wasted doing nothing but having a laugh.

Life couldn't just be about going by the whim, right?

"Perfection, Lily." From the armchair right across from mine, Rose looked up at me with proud brown eyes. "Your Charms essay is brilliant. You wrote a better paper than the ones I've corrected for James or Freddie, and they're Seventh Years."

"They're also idiots," I replied with a satisfied smirk as she handed me back my scroll of parchment. "And thanks for double-checking it, Rosie. My usual double-checker is currently upset with me."

As we were in the middle of the school day, on the longest break that we have, the Gryffindor Common Room didn't tend to get so packed during that time because most Gryffindors would do anything for fresh air, a bit of food, or to prance around with their friends than to waste it going over essays or homework. As such, the only Gryffindors that tended to use the common room as a medium of study were Rose, Lucy, Lysander Scamander, Emily—on occasions when she managed to shake off James—some Seventh Years that decided to start relearning everything they hadn't before, a few Fifth Years who were taking advantage of the time and studying earlier on for their O.W.L's, and myself.

And because the common room wasn't as packed like it was during the nights, Rose and I managed to get a perfect glimpse of our cousin Lucy. She had taken the small table by the tower's window hostage, where all the sunlight poured down like a spotlight, with her books and neatly stacked notes. She'd been writing passionately, almost sniffing the books when she read, but on the occasions that she heard me speaking, she'd glance up and glare with distaste.

"Why is Lucy mad at you, Lils?" Turning away from our angry-faced cousin, Rose knitted her eyebrows in confusion.

"No idea," I lied, shrugging at her question. "Besides, you know Lucy well enough, Rose. You know she's moody and always aggravated. I must just be at the top of the list this month."

My Sixth Year cousin didn't shake off her look of confusion. "Lucy can be a bit serious, but she's been in such a great mood since the summer."

I scoffed. Where the hell had I been for that? Lucy had the replica of Uncle Percy's personality and the greatest her mood was going to get was if someone told her that having fun had been prohibited in the castle.

"It's true," Rose went on. "She's been nothing but smiles as of late. The other day she and I were heading to the library together when we ran into Artie putting graffiti on a corridor in the second floor with Uncle George's new Magic Markers and she just ruffled his hair and skipped along."

Aiming another glance at Lucy, the girl was still frowning at me deeply before she rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion and went back to her work. "Well, she has been helping Neville and Lorcan Scamander with those new herbs in the greenhouses. Maybe the fumes got to her that day. Trust me, Rose, Lucy is as dried up as a prune."

Rose threw me a disapproving stare, reminding me so much of the one Aunt Hermione gave me when I once randomly and casually suggested that maybe her love-and-hate relationship with Draco Malfoy was because they had undeniable chemistry that never got resolved or given a chance. (She'd sputter so much after that; it was hilarious.) "Don't be mean, Lily. Lucy is just more reserved than the rest of us."

"She sucks the party out of life."

The disapproving frown didn't leave the older redhead. "Oh, do try and give her some credit, Lily. If you dig a little deeper you'd see that she's that way because of what Molly did. She was only eleven when Molly took off on the family, breaking Uncle Percy's heart, that she just didn't want to risk adding more disappointment onto him. She just wants to make him proud by being excellent and admirable at everything."

My conscience poked at me, nudging me so I would recognize Rose's words as true. And they really were, and I knew that. Lucy had so much indirect pressure and expectations from Uncle Percy. He would never truly tell her that, because Aunt Audrey would kill him, but most of the family knew that it was there. Though Molly had been an excellent student during her time at Hogwarts, she never got on with her father. And when she had the chance to bail, a week after she completed her seven years at the castle, she took off and wasn't heard of for almost two years.

Lucy saw those things, noticed the hurt in her father's eyes, and she tried to restore the broken heart her sister had left. She tried being respectable, brilliant academically wise, mature, and responsible—everything her father was. And all for his sake. And since Artie, the youngest of Uncle Percy's three children, was chaotic and a troublemaker since before he could walk, Lucy's effort was doubled.

Before I could really decide to listen to my conscience and let go of the little spat Lucy and I were having, the portrait-hole opened and the almost-silent common room was invaded by loud laughs. Walking in together, arms wrapped around each other, was Liam and his annoyingly-gorgeous best friend.

"Merlin, that was hysterical," my boyfriend puffed out with a round of chuckles, lowering two schoolbags to an open table just a few feet away from where Rose and I were sitting. Everyone in the common room were still focused on their own things, no one paying attentions to the disturbers of our silence. "Who knew Peeves and Binns would ever throw it down ghost-style? McGonagall and the other professors didn't even know what to do when the two were fighting!"

Nia Harper smirked as the brunette boy kept chuckling like he was having the time of his life. "All you need is the help of George Weasley and you can get Peeves to do almost anything."

Liam pulled out a chair for his friend, his shoulders still shaking, but the laughter was dimmer. "Are you going to tell me _why _you have it out for Professor Binns now?"

"No, now shush," the blonde girl said between serious and playful as she sat down gracefully. She pulled out the chair right next to her, pointing a finger down and Liam obediently did what he was told.

"I'm glad I was there," he told her.

"Of course. Who else would I share that little triumph with?" She batted her blue eyes at him. There was something mocking about the way she did it, but it still was poking the jealousy monster inside of me.

Liam rolled his brown eyes, aiming a shove at his friend's shoulder teasingly. "Well, if you would've taken Al, I'm sure there was a nearby broomstick-closet you two could've defiled together."

"Oi!" Harper scowled, but her laugh contradicted it at the same time. "Don't keep spreading that rumor around. People are going to think that Potter and I can't even be in a room together without keeping our clothes on."

"I really hope you _do _keep your clothes on, Nia! That'd be disgusting images otherwise."

The blonde's eyes looked outraged. "Excuse me?!"

Liam started shaking his head, waving his palms about as if trying to avoid an attack. "Not like that!" He said quickly. "I mean, look at you! Who wouldn't want to see you out of your clothes? You're gorgeous girl." My heart felt like it plummeted down from its original spot and got lost somewhere in the pit of my stomach. "But I mean...Well...Al and you..."

"So you want to see _Al _naked?" Harper retorted, laughing again as if she didn't see anything wrong with what he'd just said before. "My, Liam! Back off my boyfriend!"

The boy snorted. "You know what I mean," he said patiently. "All I'm saying is that you and Al aren't really discreet about your...active lives, are you? And I don't really fancy knowing about my best friend's personal...things."

He was blushing intensely and his best friend didn't miss it. "Aw, look at you," she started cooing; acting so uncharacteristically sweet. "You mean our sex lives? Don't be shy. Just because you're not getting any doesn't mean you can't say the word. Come on, repeat after me: _sex, sex, sex._"

A few nearby Gryffindors turned to the two best friends at Harper's carefree tone and looked curious. At the attention, my boyfriend's cheeks turned redder and he softly shoved Harper; signaling for her to silence herself.

However, being the damn annoying bitch that she was, the blonde didn't. "Oh, relax," she told him, shoving him back. "I know that you and your baby Potter are still processing how to hold hands. And, just so you know," she leaned a little closer to him, "Al might have seen me without clothes, but that doesn't mean I've...you know...with him."

"Really?" Liam asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "But you two have always made it sound like...What else could you be doing, then?

Harper laughed loudly again, reaching over and ruffling Liam's brown hair teasingly. "Do you really want to have this conversation with me, Liam? I guarantee you you won't like it."

"Yeah, you're right," he replied. "I rather not know what situations Al has gotten into with my best friend."

"Definitely some that you haven't with his little sister." Harper stood up from the chair, picking up her schoolbag once again; after she pulled out a few books. "Anyway, go with me to find Lorcan? I need to ask him for his part of our Charms project."

Obediently like always, without thinking it, Liam stood up and followed his best friend back out the common room. He would follow her to the end of the world if he had to, honestly.

"Finished!" Taking up my peripheral vision, Rose started waving about the other essay I handed her to correct. "It was really good too, Lily. The only thing I suggest is that when you're breaking apart the..." Whatever she said got lost when I felt like a cauldron of ice had been dropped over me.

Is that really what I am to Liam's friends, Al's little sister?

Our relationship was a joke to them—_I_ was the joke.

**X**

"Isn't this just brilliant?" Jumping up and down on a four-poster that was covered in navy-blue and bronzed material and decor, Roxanne kept sporting a giant grin on her face like she was five all over again.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Really, Roxy?"

"Oh, leave her." Right next to me, half-sitting and half-laying with his back pressed against the headboard of his four-poster, Hugo was tearing open another Chocolate Frog package as we watched our cousin. "She's just high on sugar."

"And this?" With a smirk on my lips, I started waving an almost empty bottle of Firewhiskey.

Hugo grinned. "Ah, yes," he said casually. "Gift from Malfoy and Al. Apparently the two stole loads from the kitchens. They started distributing them among the houses to get rid of the evidence when a Slytherin let it slip to the Headmistress that it was them."

Roxy squealed, still jumping on the bed across from us.

"She's going to break your roommate's bed," I told Hugo. "And like we really need more trouble with the Ravenclaws. After the teams get sorted out, Gryffindor's going up against your house. Tensions are high, especially since James, Louis and Freddie bet something ridiculous."

"Merlin, I really hope we beat Gryffindor. Your brother and our cousins have it coming, and it's going to be marvelous to watch them fall off their throne." Hugo let out a giant laugh, shaking his head to himself. "Anyway, the bed won't break. It's sturdy."

Knowing Hugo like the back of my hand, I turned completely around and launched myself forward, practically sitting on his legs. I rose an expecting eyebrow up, watching him smirk as he nonchalantly chewed on one of the frog's legs. "You did not hook-up with one of your roommates!"

"Not yet," he replied slyly. "But I am working on it."

"And?" I pressed. "Who is he?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied with a laugh.

We were eleven when Hugo confessed to Roxanne, Lucy, and I that he sort of fancied boys. It was strange at that age, especially because you don't really start thinking about love, romance, and attraction at that point, so we never really gave it much thought. But when we went into our third year, Hugo had confessed to the three of us that he'd kissed a boy in his year, a Hufflepuff, and that he'd liked it. A week after that, Hugo was caught snogging some Gryffindor girl by a prefect in the seventh floor. He had meant to keep that bit to himself, I'm assuming, but the Gryffindor girl had let it slip to Roxy, and being the world's biggest gossip that she was, Roxy had let everyone know after that. When we asked him about it, Hugo had casually confessed that he liked kissing girls too.

We were Fourth Years now, going on fifteen, but Hugo knew perfectly well that he was bisexual. Seeing as Roxy, Lucy, he and I grew up together, since we were thick as thieves, he had only confessed that to us and forced us to take a vow to never tell anyone else. (Roxanne's had to be enchanted rather than a vow by word, but it all had been binding.) And even though we were as close as we were, Hugo never really liked telling us what he did and who he did it with.

"I—thought—you—were—talking—to—that—Slytherin—girl?" Still jumping on the bed, Roxy added into the conversation with every rise into the air; clearly still playing attention to what was going on.

The Ravenclaw shrugged. "It doesn't really mean I'm dating her, does it? You relationship people just assume that's all there is to it when two people talk to each other."

"Oh, shut up, Casanova." It was my turn to laugh. "First attempt to have a proper relationship with someone and then comment about us. But in all honesty, settle down, mate. I can't keep up with half of the people Roxy finds out your dating."

"Not—dating!" And with that, Roxy finally jumped off the bed across from where Hugo and I were laying on. She had her grin on her face still, flipping her dark, red hair behind her shoulders as she adjusted her t-shirt. "Hugo doesn't date, Lily; he _snogs _people. He's a great, giant slag."

My cousin and I laughed loudly. Roxy giggled along too, shaking her head, as she settled herself at the foot of the mattress and stole the bottle of liquor from my hands.

"Really, Hugo, who are you working on now? Surely there's someone if your even working anything at all. Aren't you alike all other rotten boys? Don't you just wait until they come to you?"

"This one's a little complicated," he said offhandedly. "But you're still not getting any details of my private life, Lily. I know that you don't necessarily get anything more than a kiss from Greengrass, but you're not going to live viciously through me."

All humor and curiosity was gone from me in a split second. "What's _that _supposed to mean?" I snapped. "You don't know anything about what Liam and I get into."

"You and Liam don't get into anything," he shot back.

"You don't know that!" I stood up from the bed in my flash of anger.

Hugo rose an eyebrow, his expression somewhat indifferent. "Lily, you tell me everything. If there was more to your relationship with Greengrass I would know." He let out a small sigh, clearly still noticing that my aggravation was not going away. He motioned for Roxy to throw him the bottle. "The thing with you, Lily, is that you're trying so damn hard to prove something," he added before taking a drink of Firewhiskey.

"I wouldn't have to prove anything if I wasn't taken as a bloody joke by everyone!" I finally snapped. I had reached the ultimate level of being teased for the day. "Why is it that all of you see me like that? I'm a grown girl! I'm not five fucking years-old!"

Hugo and Roxanne exchanged looks with one another. Like the secret messages passed with just a gaze among best friends and confidants, both cousins came up with something as they both nodded at one another.

"You don't have to prove anything," Hugo was the one to speak first. "You're getting so wrapped up on showing that you've grown up, Lily, that's it's getting ridiculous. And we _know _that you're not a little girl anymore. As the bloody unlucky boy that I am, I was there when Aunt Ginny bought you your first bra." He settled himself, trying not to shout at me. "Why can't you go at the regular pace? Why do you have to keep up with everyone else?"

"Because of Liam! Because of his friends, because of my brothers!" I shouted. "Don't sit there and pretend not to know that they all see my relationship with him as a joke. I _love _Liam, but they all seem to think we're just playing make-believe! It's like they've set up lines for us, and Liam's too fucking scared to cross one! You don't know what it's like to not be able to kiss your boyfriend because he's wary that one of my relatives will come out of thin air and hex him."

"Actually, Lily, I do know what that's like." No longer smiling, Roxanne gave me a slightly annoyed look. She folded her arms across her chest before settling the bottle between her pajama-clad legs when Hugo handed it back to her. "Freddie has taken it upon himself to monitor my every move since Lucas and I got together. And Merlin forbid that he and I go off anywhere together because then the reinforcements come in. My brother has people watching me. I actually had to be escorted away from a corridor by some Hufflepuff because Lucas and I were too close to a broomstick closet."

"Oh, please!" I scoffed nastily, frowning still. I found absolutely no comfort in her little story. "Like Freddie has anything to worry about with you! Look at you, Roxy! If you dusted yourself with glitter you'd be a fairy straight out of a children's book! Zabini is in no hurry to progress to any level of intimate contact because it'd be like defiling a puppy. You're a little girl caught in a fifteen year-old's body."

Roxy's annoyed expression was gone; it was instantly replaced with an offended and an aghast one. Her brown eyes were huge with outraged, but also welled up with tears; like someone had smacked her across the face and shocked her. Copying the outraged look, Hugo was more inclined to look thoroughly angry.

"Watch your mouth, Lily Luna Potter," he hissed at me. "You're getting so caught up with your own stupid ideas that you don't even see what you're saying to other people. Don't think we don't know about what you told Lucy either. Cool it before you offend everyone around you and you find yourself with no one to lean on."

A few seconds of thick silence passed—but so much was happening to me during it. I started thinking back to Liam, back to the way he pushed me away, how he was so scared to upset my brothers or cousins, how sometimes he'd just kiss my forehead like I was a child, and what his friends thought of our relationship. The insecurities startled flooding me.

With a shaky breath, the oxygen tough to pass down my throat as a knot of emotions invaded it, I felt my eyes water and sting. "...What about when they offend me?" I asked softly. "What am I...What am I supposed to do if he leaves me? He's a boy! He's...he's going to want what they all want, but I'll just be Al's little sister? What if he gets tired of waiting for me to..._grow up_ that he leaves? I can't...I can't lose him."

At the tears rolling down my face shamelessly, Hugo and Roxanne both stopped looking so aggravated with me. Their eyes filled with what I thought looked like pity, and I honestly couldn't blame them for it. All of this was pitiful.

"He loves you, Lily," Roxy whispered.

Our male cousin nodded at her statement. "It's true, you know. We can all see it by the way he looks at you; like you're the only person in the room. He loves you so much, Lily, that he's in no hurry to pressure you into anything. If Greengrass was alike all those other blokes, I'd be concerned for you, but I'm not. He's just respecting you."

"And maybe he hasn't asked for anything physical because you're relationship isn't ready for it yet," Roxy added into the conversation. "You're not going to lose him, alright. Just trust him and on what he wants, not what you assume he does."

Adding as an interlude when more tears started falling, a sob starting to shake my shoulders, the door of Hugo's dormitory opened. Walking in casually, not really noticing us as he reviewed a book he was holding, a tall, dark-haired boy with creamy skin headed to the bed Roxy had been jumping on. A boy I knew as Anthony Goldstein Jr.

The boy lowered his belongings on the mattress with a free hand while still reading the page of his book. With the same free hand, he managed to tug off his Ravenclaw robes and toss them over the small nightstand next to his four-poster. He reached for his navy-blue and bronzed tie, tugging it off with skilled fingers and practically no concentration.

"By all means, Anthony, continue. You're giving the girls quite a show." And just as the boy had been in the process of unbuttoning his shirt, Hugo's voice boomed in the silent dormitory.

Dropping his book as he was startled, the Ravenclaw turned around and was met with my red-rimmed eyes, Roxy's embarrassed ones, and Hugo's smirk. "Weasley," he said smoothly, contradicting with his previous klutzy move. "Having a sleepover, are you?"

Hugo's smirk was still present, especially when he glanced at Roxy and I; all three of us in our sleeping gear. "That depends actually."

Roxy and I looked at one another, halfway torn between laughing and being offended now.

"On?" The other Ravenclaw boy asked nonchalantly.

"Are you joining our roommates in the Sixth Years dormitories? They're having their annual, vigorous Friday night study-sessions."

Goldstein leered now. "So, you're saying if your cousins were to leave we'd have the dormitory to ourselves?"

Hugo nodded, his aurora radiating out confidence and smugness. "And we could have a vigorous study-session of our own."

"You don't study on the weekends," Goldstein said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I can make an exception for you."

The dark-haired Ravenclaw boy's leer grew bigger, but it was directed to Roxy and I. "See you later, girls."

Roxy turned to our cousin and looked more offended than when I insulted her. "Hugo! I can't go back to the Gryffindor Common Room hopped up on liquor! Your sister can smell it from a mile away! She'll tell my parents!"

Hugo rolled his eyes and turned to me."Lily, please take Roxanne."

Nodding once, I walked over to Hugo's bed and yanked on Roxy's arm, dragging her along with me. And before we left the Ravenclaws dormitory completely and I could shut the door behind us, I looked back over my shoulder and watched Hugo for a second.

How was it fair that he could do with his body what he wanted, share it with who he wanted, and no one saw him as a kid? Why is it that we can't even get felt up for a brief second without assuming that it's an act against Merlin himself?

I was determined to prove that wrong.

* * *

**AN: It's August 24th 2012. I'm still re-editing. **

**Hope you like it so far! (:  
**


	10. Lost Girl

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 10:** Lost Girl**  
**

**POV: **Dominique

Let me tell you a story about a little redheaded girl who was born into the Weasley family.

Now, this girl was born to a regular witch—a sweet, kind, soft-spoken woman—and a man that was a little more than regular. This man was poise, calculated, and abiding to every single rule that was ever created. He was all about honor, success, and family values; which he later learned was most important of all. A lot of rubbish happened in between, a lot of which I don't care for details about, and then the girl was off to Hogwarts at the age of eleven; leaving behind her parents, a five year-old sister and a two year-old brother.

It took her the first year at Hogwarts school to realize that she was not normal, that something was completely off with her. It was the first time she was sure she didn't belong. She was best friends with a blonde, want-to-be queen of the world and a blue-haired troublemaker, but she still felt alone and secluded. She bonded more with the boy, because he knew how it felt not to feel a part of something, but their loneliness was different in her mind. He had the potential of being something great once he removed those ideals that he was only around because no one else wanted him, but for her? Her loneliness and hurt was not being able to fit in, to not feel at home with the ones she shared blood with.

A few more years passed, yada, yada, who the hell cares, and then she turned seventeen and she decided that it was time to make herself scarce; to go on an adventure to find herself. So, freshly out of Hogwarts, and on a night where her family was occupied with their mundane activities, she packed a suitcase and took off. She left without a goodbye, without a note, and without an incline of ever returning back.

Three years passed after that night and the girl had barely made contact with her family. There wasn't a motive of why she was reaching out again, maybe, as the adults of her wide family suggested, she thought that it was time to bring them back in because she had finally found herself. Well, as noble and comforting as she assumed her contact was, she really didn't count on pissed off relatives—especially one as unstable as the one who adored her to bits before she fled.

And now, it was time for an introduction to her secret world that she'd been keeping to herself for the past five years.

_Knock, knock, knock._

There was a door made of regular wood, the number 11 hanging on the top, a floral wreath in the middle of the door, and a brown mat that welcomed guests quite cheesley. It took about thirty seconds before that door was opened and a pair of black eyes were staring at me casually and with a little too much curiosity.

"Can I help you?" The person with the dark eyes was a girl, a girl with equally as dark hair but a very fair complexion.

"Sorry, I think I have the wrong flat," I said to her, raising my eyebrow at her as she continued to stare at me like I had something rude tattooed across my beautiful and smooth forehead.

She raised her brow at me too. "Well, if you're looking for someone I can be of assistance. I know everybody who lives in this building, Little Red."

I frowned now. Who the hell was Little Red? "Um, yeah. Okay," I said offhandedly, trying to contain my annoyance and not be so rude. I was in someone else's territory, after all. "I'm looking for Molly. She's a redhead, freckled face, brown—"

"Aha! I knew you looked familiar!" The dark-haired girl said too loudly. There was a giant smile on her face now and then she stepped to the side, opening the door widely. "Come in! Free's changing, she spilled tea on herself, the klutz, but she'll be out in a moment."

I widened my eyes. Who the hell was Free? And was I about to get kidnapped and cut open so they could sell my organs in the black market? Holy fuck! I'm _pregnant_. What if this wench couldn't have kids and saw me, a lonesome and innocent girl with her round little belly, and she decided on the spot to keep me until the baby was born and then murder me?!

"Come on, sweetheart, in you go. You don't want to freeze to death, it might not be good for the baby." She grabbed my arm carelessly, pulling me into the flat in a swift motion.

For Merlin's old wand, I have just been abducted.

"I think I should—"

"No, no. You're not waiting outside. It's already dark out."

"It's fine, actually. I'm—"

"You're pregnant, sweetie; you can get a cold."

"I'll be fine. My aunt's a healer and she can—"

"A healer, what's that? Like a voodoo doctor?"

I was literally about to scream for help as the girl looked at me more seriously than before when a door inside of the flat opened. I was already imagining a giant man with a lethal expression and raggedy hair to come out to control me, so they could bind me without a struggle, but instead wide, brown eyes were gaping at me.

"Dominique?"

"_Molly_!" I breathed out gratefully, rushing away from the dark-haired freak to get to my oldest cousin. "Oh, thank Helga Hufflepuff's underwear you're here! I thought I was about to get skinned!"

After I launched myself at her, Molly carefully put an arm around my shoulders. "Skinned? What the hell are you on about, Dom?" I pointed my finger at the intruder. "Oh, you idiot. That's Beth, she's my best friend. She lives her with me."

Beth—the likely baby kidnapper—was smiling at me with so much enthusiasm. "Pleasure to meet you, love! I've never met any of Free's people before. This is exciting."

"Is she off her rocker?" I asked Molly, looking up at her with questioning eyes. "Who's Free?"

Sighing tiredly, like I had just dropped a glass of red wine on her brand new white rug, Molly directed me towards a small kitchen inside the flat. And while I inspected all the browns, greens, and yellow shades that seemed to be giving the kitchen some kind of warmth, very Molly, I was placed on a chair in her dinner table. "What are you doing here, Dominique? It's nightfall, and you're too far from home."

"Shell Cottage is not that far," I told her with a snort, my eyes wandering around as I noticed a few paintings in the kitchen. They were mostly of fat men with big white hats, some apples and other fruits. How odd. "Besides, all I had to do was find the nearest apparition point. Got here in a jiffy."

"...Apparition?"

Molly cringed as her friend looked at me more curiously, mumbling something beneath her breath. "How did you even know where I was? No one knows where I live."

"Aunt Hermione let it slip to Mum ages ago. I just thought it was time I decided to venture out and find your little shindig," I said nonchalantly. And when I finally grew tired of the apple portraits, I faced my cousin and noticed that she looked somewhat at edge. "Does it bother you that I came here? I mean, is there' a reason why you didn't tell us cousins where you lived?"

Molly took a seat gently on the chair across from me, but not before shooting her friend a look that suggested caution. "Don't get offended, Dom," she said in an almost whisper. "Teddy and Victoire have known for just a year, I didn't even tell them where I lived since I made contact with them years ago. Aunt Hermione has always known because...well...She gets it."

"Gets what?"

"Dom," my cousin spoke again, sounding like she was a second from diverging the topic, "why are you here?"

"Not that we mind having you over," Beth said, walking over towards my cousin's side and taking out a chair. "It's bloody fantastic to meet someone from your family, Free. We've known each other for almost five years and not once have we seen a relative of yours, or a friend. I'm excited."

Molly looked at her friend, still cautious but with a small smile. "Beth, you get excited when the sun rises every day."

The dark-haired girl snorted. "I have a lot of enthusiasm for life, so sue me."

"If you love the excitement of life, why are you two living in Muggle London, by the way? What possible fun is there to have here? I mean, there wasn't any place decent enough to have a few games of Quidditch from what I saw."

"Muggle? Quidditch?"

Molly looked instantly mortified. "Oh, ignore her, Beth. My cousin's an eccentric. We used to make up words when we were little. Muggle means urban, and Quidditch is her slang for football. Just nonsense, really."

And it all clicked. "For fuck sakes, Molls! You're living with Muggles?!" I shut my mouth instantly; my cousin throwing me a frown and her friend looking somewhat offended now. "I mean...yes, slang. I'm sorry, Beth. It's just that it's mine and Molly's lingo, you know? We grew up with silly words, silly lives, silly...customs."

Beth huffed casually, nodding with what seemed to be understanding. "It's cool. My brother and I used to have made up words too. I called him a douche-bag and he referred to me as the slut. Quite funny."

Molly rolled her eyes at her friend, nudging her with her elbow gently. And after a smile passed by the two, making me feel like I was the third-wheel, my cousin turned back to me. "Now, Dom, what are you doing here?"

"You can sound a little more joyful of the fact that I am," I snapped at her. "But if you must know," I continued on, sagging against her chair and crossing my arms in my irritated mood, "I just needed to be somewhere away from home. Bill and I having been rowing for ages now. And...well..I couldn't sleep.."

My redheaded cousin raised an eyebrow. "Usually when people can't sleep, Dom, they warm up a glass of milk or count sheep." I rolled my eyes and she proceeded on. "But, anyway, what's the matter then? Knowing you, I doubt Uncle Bill scared you off this late at night."

"He called my kid a bastard," I told her, the words coming out with more emotion than what I allowed. "And he practically told me it was time for me to leave the house a few weeks ago. Everything has just gotten to be too much, okay?"

Molly's brows furrowed completely now. "That doesn't sound like Uncle Bill at all. The fact that you're having a baby at seventeen is a bit of a sore factor, mind you, but to throw you out? I think you're being dramatic, Dom."

I frowned at her, crossing my arms over my thick, grey coat. (Good call on not wearing robes, by the way. I'm a genius.) "Look, Molly, if I wanted to be labeled as a drama-queen and utterly helpless, I would've stayed at home. Can't you just be my cousin for a second, that girl who understood me before she ran off years ago, and just _listen _to me?" Oh, fuck. Tears. Where the hell were they coming from?

Guilt pierced Molly's brown eyes in a flash. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I know that...Well, the family hates me don't they? It's been two years since I've appeared again and I seemed to have fallen out the loop with you lot and...I'm sorry, Dom."

"You should be," I snapped, still sniffling as those damn tears welled up in my eyes. "And we don't hate you," I also added. "Hurt is what we are, but we don't hate you. You might have disappeared for three years on us, but we still remember your raging fury. No one in their right mind hates you knowing there's a possibility you still like to strangle people."

"Dad still hates me," replied Molly, an unamused smile on her lips at my previous comment. "I'm working on warming my way back into his life, though."

"He's the one hurt the most," I corrected, "but he'll come around. He stopped leaving the room whenever someone asks about you."

She chuckled lightly at that. "Anyway," she shook her head, like she was shaking away the flecks of sadness, "we were talking about you. Are you really going to leave Shell Cottage?"

"You can come live with us if you do—" Making herself known again, Molly's muggle friend grinned largely. "There's plenty of space, you know."

I looked around the flat—it was bloody small. And as if knowing exactly my thoughts, Molly frowned at her flat-mate. "Beth, I barely have space for you. Don't tell my cousin she can stay here when we're all cramped up."

"Well, I'm just saying we could get a bigger place, you know? If Little Red here wants to ditch Mum and Dad, then we can figure something out." The girl snapped her fingers. "Oh! There's that offer to take that house Mister Wilson is selling, remember?"

Molly shook her head, sighing. "I also remember you wanting to get that house because of the twenty-eight year-old doctor that lives next door."

"It's a match made in heaven!" The muggle retorted. "I'm twenty-five, single, and damn gorgeous. We can have lots of cute little babies, and buy a house somewhere on the countryside when we grow old."

"He doesn't even know your name, Beth! He just knows you dog-sit Mister Wilson's two pets."

"That can easily be arranged when I move in next door!"

"Excuse me." Clearing my throat loudly, I went in to interrupt the conversation between the two friends. "Yes, hello; I was just getting emotional earlier. That really doesn't happen on a regular basis, so if we could please get back to solving _my _problems I'd really appreciate it, thanks."

Beth pressed her lips into a tight line, cheeks turning red, eyes glittering with humor. Molly, on the other hand, laughed a bit before shaking her head and giving me her attention again. "Alright, you were saying?"

"I'm pregnant at seventeen, my dad's had enough of me, and my stupidly perfect sister thinks that I should get married to give my life some direction and to please the family," I summed up. "Also, I have the strangest feelings lately that's something awful is going to happen. And unless I'm mistaken and Trelawney _did _say that I was a gifted Seer during my days in Hogwarts, then I'm worried."

The muggle looked confused all over again. "More made-up language," Molly told her offhandedly before speaking to me. "I don't really agree with Vic on this, Dom, but I do think that you need to find something to get your life on track. You were going to a university to study business, were you not? You just have to give your parents something to reassure them that you do know where your life is headed once the baby is born."

"But I don't know that it is," I replied gently. "I keep feeling...I keep feeling like something is going to happen, Molly. What if the baby...Or what if I get killed walking down Diagon Alley one day?"

Reaching over, Molly smacked me beside the head. "Don't say that, idiot," she scolded. "Your hormones are just crazy right now, Dominique. You're _pregnant_. Don't look too into your moods. Just start thinking about what you're going to do after you give birth."

"Go on a diet?" I replied. "Look at me. I'm huge."

The two elder girls were laughing now, looking at me like I was one of those muggle clowns and I was there just for their entertainment. It wasn't cruel either, but the emotion in the little kitchen did die down, which I was grateful for. I had decided to flee my house at almost midnight to get away from the thoughts, to find someone who wasn't going to suggest something idiotic like Victoire had a few weeks back, or wasn't going to say that there was no hope for me. I was used to that, those looks like I was just not going to do much in life, but Molly had always been the one to smack some sense into me; to remind me that behind my smart mouth and trouble-making ways there was a very intelligent girl.

"So, movie night?" Getting up from her chair, the muggle girl smiled at all of us. "Chris is out with the boys for the weekend, and we simply cannot send your cousin home at this hour, Free."

"Chris?" I asked.

"Her boyfriend," Beth spoke before Molly could give her own response. And at my hanging jaw in awe, the muggle choose to keep adding to the gossip my cousin has been keeping to herself. "Yeah, he lives here with us. And let me tell you, Little Red, they go at it like bunnies. Expect Molly to follow your pregnant, waddling footsteps at the rate they do it."

"Beth!" Molly shrieked, completely appalled.

I roared with mocking laughter.

Yes, this is what I needed for the moment; an escape.

**X**

Dun. Dun. Dun.

The sun was barely starting to come out, tainting the skies with its glowing and intense oranges, purples, and pinks. Some of the clouds looked almost rimmed with gold, and others looked like they were burning with the hues pink and orange. Everything was starting to light up, the sunlight reaching places far and beyond; highlighting and exposing them. The ocean was calm and rippling, capturing the light of the sun.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

With a muttered spell, the back door of the cottage resting on top of a cliff nearby the ocean tides opened with ease. The door slightly creaked, but silence exploded out of the little home.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

Heading straight for the staircase, another spell was muttered to prevent the ever-constant squeaks escaping from them.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

After a flight of stairs that should certainly be replaced with a lift for those who are finding that even climbing three steps takes up way too much oxygen and effort, the first door on the left was spotted.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

Using the same handy spell on the door, pushing the bedroom door open without a single noise being heard from it, I stuck my head in a little bit to make sure the coast was clear.

I exhaled. Thank Merlin!

"_Where were you_?!" Jumping up at the booming voice that roared behind me, I turned around and was met with the raging green eyes that belonged to one Bill Weasley. And right behind him, worried, yet so relieved, was his wife Fleur.

Slowly backing myself into my room, palms raised high in surrender, I tried to pull on my best innocent, angelic, completely harmless expression. "Good morning, Daddy," I said too high-pitched. "My, it's wonderful seeing you this early. I'll start waking up earlier just to see you off before you head to work. Which, by the way, aren't you going to be late?"

Bill marched in after me, every footstep practically denting my fragile wooden floors. "Where were you?!" He repeated loudly. "Two in the morning your mother wakes me up frantic because you're not in your bed, Dominique!"

I giggled in puffs. "She didn't see me, you say? Well, Daddy, I think I might be muttering spells in my sleep again; I should get that checked out. Remember that year I kept casting the Gemino Curse when I was sleeping? My room was filled to the brim with bras!"

Not finding me amusing or my anecdote from when I was thirteen, Bill's emerald eyes practically went black. (If I didn't know that he wasn't fully a werewolf, I'd swear he would've transfigured there and then. Full moon be damned.) "Where were you?!"

Sighing, I lowered my hands and frowned. All the extra weight was making my sneaking skills go down the damn toilet. "I was with Victoire," I lied. "Took the Floo Network. It was fine. You can ask her."

"Do you think we're idiots?" Dad snapped, crossing his arms furiously over his chest. "We contacted your sister the minute after we searched all of Shell Cottage!"

"Okay. I was with Aunt Gin—"

"Stop lying to me, Dominique!" Dad shouted, cutting across my next lie. "Where were you?!"

I was doomed. There were only three places I would go if I ever needed time away from my parents and the house: Aunt Ginny's, Merlin bless that woman and her delicious pancakes; Victoire and Teddy's place, just to laze about and get on my brother-in-law's last good nerve; and Uncle George's shop, where I could steal some of his sweets and cause pain on unsuspecting kids with his products. (Though the last was clearly out of the question, the shop was closed that late at night.)

It was not easy, but I knew defeat when it was presented. So with another sigh of frustration, I told the truth. "I went to Grimmauld Place to spend some quality time with Kreature—"

"Dominique, _s'il vous plaît_!" Finally, from the background, Mum made a noise in her native French. "Tell us zee truth!"

"I went to Muggle London!" Mothers are such cheats, you know? They use those sad, puppy-dog eyes on you and you suddenly feel completely compelled to give in to whatever they were asking. (In my case it was worse! Mum's more Veela than anything, and you know those don't play fair to get what they want.) "I went on a bloody quest to find Molly's flat, alright."

I've might as well told them I went to resurrect the Dark Lord. Dad was in a level far more dangerous than fury, and I suddenly started fearing for my life. "You went to London in the middle of the bloody night?!" There goes that roaring he does when I'm around. Usually, he was all deep, leveled and logical voiced, enticing you to have a friendly debate, but _no_! Have me around and he was nothing but shouts. "Are you insane?! It's freezing out, Dominique! Not to mention something could've happened to you! Didn't you learn from last year's attack on your cousins and brother?!"

Mistake number one? I rolled my eyes. "Like that's ever going to happen again," I huffed. What were the chances that another attack on Muggle London was going to break out? I mean, come off it! No one's that daft to mess with Auror Potter. "Just ease up, Dad. I had my wand with me, and I wore like three coats. Besides, it was easy to find Molly's place."

"Ease up?" He repeated nastily. "You're a pregnant seventeen year-old, Dominique! What the hell do you think came through our heads when we found out you were gone?! This isn't a bloody joke!"

"I know what I'm doing," I snapped back. "You don't have to watch me, Dad! I'm an adult. I know how to take care of—"

"No, you bloody well don't!" He interrupted again. "And honestly, I have no damn idea how you're going to take care of that kid once its born, Dom. You're a complete idiot."

I pressed my lips tight into a line.

"I'm leaving to Gringotts," he grunted, turning his nose up at me like I was something foul. "Don't expect me for lunch."

"Bill!" Mum exclaimed. "Don't leave like zat, Bill!" But the sound of apparition echoed around the hallway outside my bedroom.

She turned back around to me, blue eyes gone from being worried to being completely frustrated. "What?" I frowned at her. "Are you going to add more to what he said? Come on, lay it on. I'm sure you have a lot to get off—"

"Alright, that's enough." Appearing from the outside hall, probably unheard because of the silencing charms I placed on everything to sneak about, Aunt Ginny appeared. She was still clad in her pajamas, flannel pants and an old Holy-Head Harpies jersey. "Fleur, you're going to have a guest in a few minutes. Meet them downstairs, please. I'll talk to her."

With a firm nod at her sister-in-law, Mum turned and headed down the hall. It was rare when she allowed someone else to handle her immediate family affairs, but when that did happen, it was because she had reached a point when not even Merlin himself could spare anyone from the French venom about to spew out of her mouth.

Mum was one of the most pleasant—though slightly picky and refined—women anyone could ever encounter. She was naturally filled with charm, capable to talk her way into anyone's heart if she so desired. But when someone harmed her loved ones, or when someone ticked her off, there was no trace of a French beauty seen.

"Why do they hate me?" I said loudly, turning and giving my aunt my back as I headed for my perfectly messy bed. I lowered myself on it, sighing with great frustration as I fluffed the sheets around me, adding some warmth. "I do everything they bloody ask and I never please them!"

Aunt Ginny entered the room, a brow raised. "Dom, you don't do anything your parents ask of you." I snorted. "And they don't hate you. They're worried; I was too."

"Why can't they be more like you then?" I asked as she sat down next to me. "Why can't everyone just be more like you, Aunt Gin, and not yell their lungs out?"

"There's nothing wrong with your parents, Dom," she replied with a bit of amusement. "Look, you just have to understand that they're equally as lost as you."

"I'm not lost!"

She raised her brow back again, in that yeah-right manner. "You wouldn't be acting this way if you weren't. Face it, you have no idea where your life is headed so you do the dumbest things to give you some sense of something." She sighed a little, reaching for a loose, red strand of hair that reached down to the mattress of my bed. "Don't tell me this is how you imagined life at seventeen, Dom. You might've always been a hectic little girl, but you always knew exactly where you wanted to go in life."

"So you're going to be one of them now, are you?" I scoffed. "You're going to look down at me too, just like the rest of the family does? I don't want your disappointment, Aunt Ginny. I've already got enough of that here."

"No one looks down at you," she snapped, pulling on my strand of hair to make me turn and look at her. "Don't you see that your parents are _afraid_, Dominique, not disappointed! They're terrified of what's to come next because you don't even have a clue where you're going! How can they be calm about where your life is going if you stopped trying to live it?

"What's the sex of the baby? Are you going to a university after you give birth? Are you going to work? Are you going to do nothing and just be a stay at home mum? Are you going to move in with Rowle? Have you even thought of names for the kid?"

I cringed and cringed at every question she kept throwing at me.

Okay, so I didn't exactly know the answer to any of the questions, but that was normal, right? I mean, obviously I didn't plan on getting pregnant and being in this very situation. I had visioned life after Hogwarts far differently. There was a university in France, where Aunt Gabrielle taught, that I wanted to attend; major in business; start working as an intern for Malfoy Enterprises, with or without their consent, just to get the feel of things; probably have a fling with a girl, who knew, experimenting and all that; traveling; starting my own company, a very successful activist business; being a billionaire; rubbing that in Louis' face; eventually settling down with Rowle; and then the baby.

But what's done is done.

"They're scared for you," my aunt spoke again, more gently. "The faster you realize that, the faster you get it out of your head that they're not against you, the faster you will all go back to the less hostile times."

I sighed. "I suppose I haven't made it easier on them," I admitted. "But they haven't made it any easier for me either, Aunt Gin. I mean, they have high expectation for a daughter! Not everyone can be the perfect, virginal, goody-two-shoes like Victoire was at my age. For goodness sake, I haven't been virginal since I was fifteen!"

My aunt made a weird expression. Too much information, right? My bad. "No parent expects all their children to be the same. You'll learn that when you have more children someday."

"Are you mental? I'm not having another kid! I'm sorry, Aunt Gin, but I don't know how you walked around three times with a watermelon in your belly—or a damn planet, considering how big Lily was when she was born. It's never going to happen again."

She laughed, patting my head like I was a dope. "Sweetie, every first mother says that. But believe me, you'll start having sex again and next thing—"

"Ah, stop!" I shuddered. "I may be five months pregnant, but morning sickness is still a bitch. I don't want to throw up; especially at the image of you and sex."

_Knock. Knock._

"Weasley." Right at the entrance of my bedroom, glare on face, arms crossed, and dressed to head to the Ministry, was Derrick Rowle.

I groaned loudly, tossing my arms up in frustration. Had Bill and Fleur honestly contacted the entire world?! I needed me some new people to befriend and use as alibis if I ever need them.

Patting my shoulder gently, Aunt Ginny got up from my bed. "Well, since I'm here, mind as well get some proper tea from Fleur." Rowle moved to the side, allowing my aunt access to pass, but the redheaded woman stopped for a second. "I would tell you to leave the door open and watch yourself, Rowle, but my niece is already pregnant."

The boy frowned as my aunt laughed loudly and made her way out. "Charming people, your family," he huffed. "Did you know I had a raging Lupin in my house at three in the morning, Weasley?"

I shrugged carelessly. "Did _you _know that this is the first time you've ever been in my bedroom?" I distracted. "Look around! Pretty neat, right? No roommates, no four-posters, and no slip-and-slides waiting for you outside the door."

For a moment, his black eyes really did look around. They inspected the white walls of my bedroom, lingering a little on the golden trees and their long branches spiraling and intertwining together, in between each other like traces of thin paint.

He shook his head, coming back into the focus before he could keep inspecting my bedroom. "What the hell were you thinking, Weasley? Don't you know it's fucking dangerous to be roaming the streets that late at night? You didn't even come home!"

"I went to go spend some time with the man I have on the side," I told him jokingly. Rowle was not amused, however. "Look, I already got lectured, I don't need it from you. I know I told you I like the authoritative attitude in the bedroom, but right now I really don't fancy hearing it. Can't you just come on over, sit next to me, and give me a proper snog? I haven't seen you in a week."

All of his irritation was wiped away as he walked towards me. "I can't stay long," he replied. "Auror Training starts in a few, and your uncles already have it out for me. And after your stunt, Lupin will be far more happy to use me as target practice."

He sat down next to me and it took all that I had not to jump him in that annoying, clinging girl way. "I know," I muttered a little sadly. For some damn reason, and I really needed to make some research on this, my eyes began to water.

Knowing me perfectly well, knowing and having had accepted long ago that we were completely in sync and made for each other, the graduated Slytherin put his fingers beneath my chin, tugging up so he could look into my green eyes. "Everything will get sorted out soon," he murmured. "You'll see."

"I hope so." Damn tears! Don't you dare fall on me! "My parents aren't letting up, you know...I just needed a moment. You took my innocence and left my parents traumatized that they don't know what to do with me."

He smirked at my can't-be-serious-for-a-second attitude, but he didn't stop looking deep in my eyes. That was the thing about us, really. We were too damn smarmy, but we loved each other. "Need I remind you, Weasley, that you took my innocence? _I _should've been traumatized with your bestiality."

"You loved every minute of it."

"I love you," he said instead of the equally as mocking comeback as I was expecting. He smiled at me softly, making my heart beat faster, and then with his free hand he put it over my growing womb. "But I'm afraid I've got to go now. I'm running late."

I huffed. "I haven't seen you so dedicated at something, Rowle, since that one time we gave it a go in Honeydukes cellar Sixth Year."

He grinned largely at the memory for a moment. "I used to just have you, Dom," he spoke firmly, moving his hand gently over my stomach, "but now I've got you and that kid you're waiting to squeeze out. I've got to get the means to provide a life for the three of us, don't I?"

The way he looked, sure and collected, the way he sounded, determined and mature, made the next words to come out of my mouth sound almost appropriate at the moment. "Let's get married, Derrick."

His fingers stopped moving over my stomach, and his shoulders tensed. He didn't look at me for what felt like an eternity, but eventually he blinked his black eyes up at me. There was something wrong, I could see it; I knew him that well. He was hiding something he didn't want me to see, didn't want me to know.

"Let's just...erm," he cleared his throat, "get through this first. We can try living together, okay? Give...Give your parents some peace."

I raised my eyebrow. "Really?"

He gave me an off smile, but he leaned in to kiss me. "I'll be back after training ends, we can go for dinner, okay?" He kissed me once more before pulling away. He leaned down, the tip of his nose touching the biggest part of my lovely body. "Daddy will be back before you know it, kid. Take care of your mum."

I watched him get up, head to the door, mutter something else that I sounded out, and I just watched impassively as he left.

Yes, something clearly was going to go wrong.


	11. Need of Competition

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 11:** Need of Competition**  
**

**POV: **Al

"—Why are we doing this?"

"—Why aren't we doing this?"

"The question here, lads, is why haven't we attempted to do this sooner?" Grinning widely from where he leaned against a corridor wall, a glitter of I-am-holier-than-thou attitude in his eyes, James Potter crossed his arms over his chest. A chest baring the Gryffindor Quidditch-team uniform.

I frowned at his leering attitude. "Don't go feeling mighty in that, James, you'll soon be taking it off and tossing it back in that dusty rucksack where you found out." Which was, ironically, the dusty rucksack I was trying to pull out tangled padding for the knees and shoulders. "Not to mention that jersey on that says Oliver Wood. You're not even on the team."

James scoffed. "Please," he snorted. He picked a thread of lint off his borrowed uniform. "All you other dimwits might be trying out for teams, but I _know _I'll be granted a spot. The captain has seen my skills, he'll hand me the Seeker's position with a gift-wrapped snitch."

Before I could even knock my brother down a peg, because his Seeker skills were not impressive at all and there was no way he had improved in the last seventeen years of his life, Louis leaped off from the ground. He was already all geared up with the Gryffindor uniform, all the padding making his bulked body appear broader. "I don't know about you, mates," he began, "but I look damn freaking handsome. I'm going to break hearts just walking out to the pitch."

"Enjoy this moment, Louis, it'll be the only time you wear that uniform again." Also in his Gryffindor Quidditch-gear, Freddie smirked up at Louis from his place next to me on the floor. "Or if we ever decide to go trick-o-treating with the muggles again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" My blonde cousin frowned at the redhead one.

Freddie shrugged. "I'm just stating facts here, Louis. I've got Dad's Beater's build, and wicked genetics to swing a bat around with some mighty power that I could send a bludger to the Queen of England without any effort. Not to mention that Al and James have their parents amazing and dedicated passion for the sport that it literally swims in their blood. We've just got more of an advantage than you do."

Louis took a menacing step towards Freddie, his shadow making the ground the latter was sitting on dim as it darken his face. "And what the bloody hell do I have then?"

"A pregnant sister, Veela blood, a phony French accent, and the failed shot at being Head Boy—"

"_Protego_!"

An immediate clear bubble formed around Freddie, wrapping around him completely; making Louis stumble back a few steps before his fist could collide with the side of the other boy's head.

"What's you're problem?! Remove the bloody charm! Let him taking a beating like a fu—"

"_Silencio_!" Shutting Louis before he could even say something vulgar for her too proper and mature ears, Rose stepped further into the corridor with her loyal boyfriend by her side and two other Gryffindor witches; Emily and Lily. And as Malfoy smirked wildly at everyone, Rose frowned profoundly.

"Honestly, Louis," she began with her constant scoldings, "your potty-mouth is terrible. I'd like Aunt Fleur and Gran to hear you speak like this, especially since you're all polite and a tea-drinker around them."

The blonde Gryffindor glared more intensely, especially when Freddie started laughing mockingly from his protective bubble and Lily chorused in with her giggles of evil.

Rolling his eyes as Louis throw an effortless punch at the bubble, Malfoy turned his attention to me as his girlfriend proceeded to try and fix the current family dispute. "Why haven't you changed, Potter? If we want to impress that idiot of a captain, we need to get there on time."

I cursed when he aimed a kick to my knee as I remained seated on the floor.

"Poor lads," James chuckled dramatically, giving Malfoy and I a pitying gaze as he threw an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. "Why don't you leave the game for people who actually know how to play and aren't relying on being punctual to get into the team."

Ever the one to put my idiot brother in his place, Emily pinched her boyfriend's arm and scowled at him in the way Rose had earlier to our cousins. "Be nice, James. Al and Scorpius are very talented players, and you know that. They beat you and Freddie several times last summer."

"That did not happen!" My brother snapped as soon as Malfoy and I smirked grandly.

"Oh, but it did," Malfoy said darkly. "I won twenty-eight galleons from both you and Weasley, and you spent the entire summer polishing Al's shoes with your toothbrush. Admit it, Potter, we're better players than you. Slytherin is going to end up winning the Quidditch cup this year, and you and the redheaded weasel will end up losing the bet you made against those Ravenclaws."

James turned red. "Fuck off, Malfoy! You can suck—"

WHAM!

"Oi! What was that for?!" It was a cry of pain, and it had erupted from both James and Freddie at the same time. The redhead stood without a bubble of protection anymore, clutching his nose tightly with both hands, and the other one was rubbing the back of his head furiously.

"You're supposed to be protecting me, Rose!" Freddie shouted through his hand. "What's the use of being Hermione Granger's daughter if you can't hold a spell?!"

Rose glared in an almighty, I'm-judging-you fashion and just snorted at his shout. It was her lethal response of 'fuck off'.

As such, Freddie turned around to our blonde cousin and kicked him on the knee. "I'm telling on you, you twat! That's the second time you break my nose this month!"

Before Louis could respond to that, Emily's twinkle-like voice sounded thoroughly annoyed as my little sister smirked brightly at her. "Quit being an asshole to your brother and my best friend, James. It's just a sport, and all of you are trying out for two different teams." She crossed her arms over her chest and the glitter to her green eyes appeared to be parental now. "And what bet did you make with the Ravenclaws? I've been hearing about this for days now. What did you three get yourselves into?"

Forgetting for a moment that they were having troubles in paradise in their relationship, Louis and Freddie both glanced a worrisome look at one another before casting a firm one at my brother. "Don't say anything—"

"If Gryffindor doesn't beat Ravenclaw this year for the Qudditch House Cup, then Freddie, Louis and I have to streak through the crowd on closing ceremonies for this school year."

Freddie and Louis groaned loudly at James' quick answer to his girlfriend's question.

On the other hand, Malfoy looked thoroughly amused and ready to throw mocking comments; Lily looked disgusted at the idea; I started laughing; and Rose and Emily both looked more upset than they had been previously.

Realizing the mistake he made for being so witch-whipped, James' eyes opened wide for a moment before transforming his expression into a calm one. "Not to worry, though. Freds and I are going to be in the team this year; those Ravenclaws don't stand a chance."

"Are you three insane?!" Rose was not pleased. "It's cost all of you so much effort to get to your Seventh Year without getting expelled and you're willing to risk that on the final week that you graduate?! Are you bloody daft?!"

Lily giggled at the corner. "Oh, now you know she's upset; she cursed. Expect her to write to your mothers."

And right as the three Seventh Year Gryffindors looked scared at that prospect, Rose forgot about them for a moment when she turned to her blonde boyfriend. "And you!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "What's the reason you and Al are joining the Quidditch team this year then? Why all of a sudden, after _years_, is Quidditch so important?"

Malfoy, another so viciously witch-whipped, almost cowered into a corner at his girlfriend's anger. He might have too, if we weren't all present to see his shame. And because of that, he tried to remain as mellow as possible. "I'm not as thick as your cousins, Rose. Al and I are trying out for the team this year for some healthy competition, that's all."

Rose's anger simmered down a tiny, tiny bit. "If the thrill of competition is what you wanted, why didn't you join the Ancient Runes Association with your girlfriend instead? We could've spent more time together. And it'd be more productive than me worrying in the stands if a bludger goes flying your way."

"Where's the satisfaction in that?" Louis snorted, giving Malfoy a few seconds to come up with the perfect response before Rose killed him. "Walking around, holding your books for you, and racing to the library when some annoying teacher shouts 'define that symbol!', does not compare to the thrill and overwhelming rush of playing Quidditch against smarmy bastards that you can throttle without worries of getting detention. No bloke wants to do nerdy things, Rose."

Rose's palm contracted into a fist and her brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh, shut up, Louis. What do you know of the thrill of Quidditch? With your skills, you won't even make it to the stands."

The blonde looked instantly appalled. And before the cycle could repeat itself, especially since Freddie looked ready to make more jokes, I cut across it. "Anyway, if you girls don't mind, shove off. Us blokes still need to continue changing."

"True," Freddie said, standing in everything but his pants; his ruby and gold stripped boxers on, thank Merlin.

Lily made another disgusted face. "Alright, we'll be waiting in the stands to witness your embarrassment." She laced her arm through Emily's and started pulling her away from our brother's side. "Come, Em. Liam said he'll meet us there. He went to grab a camera to have proof of my family's shame."

"Lily, I will butcher you and Greengrass if I see cameras!" James snapped, following after them as Louis and Rose walked with him.

Finally.

Exhaling, letting out my annoyance—because honestly, why does everything have to be so dramatic and loud with these people—I kicked off my shoes and stood up from the corridor floor. I reached for the ends of my shirt and was about to pull it off when a whistle broke out.

"I see you undress in front of everyone."

Groaning, I pulled my shirt back down. "Why has everyone suddenly found a fancy to this corridor?"

"What are you talking about? This is the main corridor to head out to the grounds." Standing there was Nia. Our eyes met as my annoyed silence turned into a thorough observation.

Her usual straight and blonde hair was not in her natural and flowing curtains of silk, but instead it was waved perfectly down the middle of her back. Her lashes were coated with that thing girls use to make them thicker, and for some reason, her blue eyes were sparkling more than ever. Her pink lips were glossier and full.

Above that, she was wearing a pair of black converse trainers on her feet—a trend Lorcan damn Scamander introduced her to—a pair of black shorts that exposed those toned and long legs that made my heart bang, and, to my surprise, my Slytherin jumper and tie. (The jumper somehow much more fitting than its ever been on her.)

Noticing that I wasn't the only one gaping at her with a jaw dropped, I punched Freddie on the back. At least Malfoy had the decency to look away.

"When you said you were going to try out for Quidditch, I honestly assumed you were kidding." She was smirking at me now. "I guess we can share your broom. It's always been satisfactory riding with you."

I gulped, my cheeks turning pink and her bad indirect, and Malfoy made a nasty heaving sound from where he stood.

"Bloody disgusting," he snapped. "Have some respect for those around you."

Nia kept her smirk.

"You better change fast and meet me at the pitch in ten minutes," Malfoy said in an ordering fashion when he saw that I couldn't take my eyes off my girlfriend. And because of that, I received a punch to my arm. "I'm serious, Potter. Ten minutes before tryouts start."

With his pants still around his ankles, Freddie managed to grab the quidditch trousers he needed before Malfoy started pushing him out of the corridor. They were muttering crude things about Nia and I, but all I managed to catch was my redhead cousin's thumbs-up before they disappeared completely.

Chuckling to herself, Nia leaned against the corridor wall. "I love the fact that I can always make them leave."

"Yeah, but they think the worst of us, you know. They're convinced we shag like bunnies."

A small frown creased her forehead but she was quick to laugh it off. "Who cares what they think, honestly. You and I know how far we've let things go. Oh—and Liam, of course."

It was my turn to frown, though there wasn't a chuckle following it. "Why does Greengrass know our personal business?"

"He's my best friend—"

"You don't see me telling Malfoy anything," I interrupted. "Don't tell me, Scamander knows too?"

Her smile and laugh lines were gone. One does not have a confrontation with Nia Harper without her getting submerged in a defensive attitude. "Bugger off about Lorcan, honestly. And Liam is my best friend, Al; he knows things because you don't seem to clear them up." She pulled herself away from the wall she was leaning on and took various steps towards me. "Why don't you, Al? Why don't you tell them that we haven't had sex?"

Taking a deep breath, I had to settle myself. I didn't want to argue with her—especially when there was nothing to argue over with her. She had a right to tell Liam anything if she wants to, and I'm a damn twat for always insinuating that Nia and I have crossed that intimate bridge in our relationship.

"I'm sorry," I told her, taking steps to her as well. And I really did mean it. Why? Because I'm a bloke—and an insecure one at that. The more I let everyone think that Nia and I own each other in every level, the word spreads out and everyone will know that she's mine. It's territorial. And it's not right.

Using her breathing techniques to help settle that flicker of anger that can easily transform into a catastrophic fire in a flat second, she nodded at me several times. "Yeah, alright. Let's let it go."

I put my arms around her waist instantly; smiling. "Thank you for coming. I like the support."

As I squeezed her waist, she tried to give me a smile. "I knew you would," she said tensely, still trying to calm herself. "I hope you enjoy it too. This is the only time I'm ever going to wear Slytherin gear, mind you. My Gryffindor pride is too strong to not support them during games."

"Maybe I won't make it in."

"You will." And this time she was smiling. Those pink and glossy lips of hers formed the most precious smile I'm blessed to see, and her beautiful eyes sparkled more. Her gaze was filled with a scared adoration. "You're a brilliant Chaser, Al. And you should've tried to join the team sooner. They'll be lucky to have you."

Looking into her eyes for one more second, I closed the space between us and kissed her.

Our kisses were usually laced with passion and all that drive that she has pent up inside of her, but this time my passion was cut short and it was drowned by a tenderness that I had never gotten from her before. It was sweet, slow, caring, and filled with trembles.

"...I love you, you know that, right, Al?" She pulled away from the kiss before I could; speaking before I could ask why she felt so nervous and terrified.

I nodded at her seriously, reeling her in tighter. "I know, Nia. And I love you too."

An attempt of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You've got five minutes, Potter. I'll be waiting in the stands, slowly dying of embarrassment for supporting Slytherin in their tryouts."

Saying my temporary goodbye, I bent down and picked up the Quidditch gear that I still hadn't put on. And just as I was about to pull my own shirt over my head, I was interrupted the second after Nia disappeared and I had gained a tiny moment of silence.

Appearing like a shadow on a concrete floor during a moonlight night, undetected and slightly nerve-wracking, a girl with eyes almost like black paint was staring at me. She dug those eyes of hers right through mine, a grin on her lips as she casually twirled a stand of black hair around her wand.

"Lost, De la Cruz?"

From the moment my voice echoed around the corridor, the girl seemed to glow with mischief. "You can say that," she said with a heavy, Spanish accent.

I cleared my throat.

"Can you show me where the Seventh Floor is?" The air surrounding us made my skin crawl with goosebumps—the anxious kind. "I hear there's a magical room there. I would really like to see it."

"I'm not really sure Professor Alan would like that." Which was very much true. It had been heard and seen for the last week, since the two new students were introduced to the school, that Alan was taking the role as personal mentor for the new kids. He had been showing them every inch of the castle without a chance for anyone to talk to the De la Cruz twins.

She snorted. "That _hombre _has no say in what I do," she said with aggravation. "So, will you, Albus? Will you show me something exciting? You're my only hope."

"I'm sure you can—"

"_Gracias_, Albus!" She was grinning widely that I couldn't help but stare dumbly at her. "It's not a problem is it?"

Clearing my throat, the shake of my head indicating that there wasn't a problem at all practically happened on its own. "No problem. But, we should stay there for a while. The bottom levels of the castle are going to be packed. I hear there's Quidditch tryouts going on."

She laughed cheerfully; her shoulders shaking as she tossed her head back. "Brilliant." And then she took my hand without an invitation. And I found myself not minding at all. Not even when she pointed her wand at the sack of old Quidditch gear, making it vanish; signaling that she'd known all along where I was supposed to be.


	12. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 12: **Something Wicked This Way Comes**  
**

**POV: **Scorpius

"Do you forgive me now?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Okay, How about—"

_BAM._ "For fuck sakes, Louis, the witch said no!" Having had been turning red, red, and redder the more time was wasted in hearing the same rant for the past two days, Freddie Weasley snapped entirely from his dorky-demeanor and went full-on nutter. He grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and chucked it across the table; even throwing pieces of toasts and forks as everyone froze for a moment.

"When are you going to get it through your ruddy head?!" Another fork went flying forward. "She said no yesterday, she said no in a letter, she said no coming down her dormitory, she said no coming into the Great Hall, and she's been _fucking _saying no for the past hour!"

Fork. Toast. Toast. Spoon.

And before a knife could be flung over by the redheaded Weasel boy, his sister was quick to reach over and pull his hand down. "Breathe, Freds," Roxanne soothed. "It's okay. Let it go."

As it appeared that Roxy had managed to settle her brother for just a moment, Louis peeked from behind the First Year Gryffindor he'd grabbed for a shield; tossing him aside like the kid was a ball of rubbish paper. Reaching over for the many pieces of toast that had been flung at him, the blonde Weasley pointed his wand at it and chanted, "_Flora_."

The watching eyes that'd been intrigued and amused by all the begging Louis had been doing since he sat himself on his house-table witnessed him move his wrist in a circular motion; causing the toast to turn into yellow flowers.

"Forgive me now?" Weasley extended the things with a cheesy, grand smile on his face as he practically shoved them up the nose of the person he was offering them too.

"I said no!" Coral McLaggen—Blonde Weasley's girlfriend for some bizarre reason—smacked the conjured flowers away from her. "You can transfigure all the bloody flowers known to mankind, but I will not forgive you, Weasley!"

As it's been known for ages now, Louis was a sodding idiot when he extended the flowers back to the girl. "I'm sorry, Cori."

"Don't call me Cori!" McLaggen shouted as she stood up from her seat, her black hair swaying everywhere as she shook with the clear anger she'd been harboring for two days. "I'm leaving—and don't you dare follow me! I don't want to see you!"

The dark-haired Seventh Year witch proceeded to leave, her loyal friends rising from their own seats and following after her heated steps. "Coral, come on!" Louis stood from the bench, watching the pack of girls. But as McLaggen kept walking, only raising a hand in the air to give him the finger, he sunk back down. "Bloody hell," he sighed.

"You're going to have to try harder than some flowers, Weasley," I told him as I pulled out my wand from my robe-pocket. With a quick Evanesco spell from my part, a little here and there, the flowers littering all over the Gryffindor tabletop disappeared. "You did throw a quaffle at her, you know."

"It was an accident!" Weasley defended for himself, frowning at me for my statement and because the eavesdropping Gryffindors agreed with me; nodding their heads to indicate so.

"And the bludger?" I was smirking now. "And the bat?"

"Not to mention the broom—" Arriving on the importune moment to ruin my meal like always, James Potter laughed mockingly at his own cousin as his girlfriend sat beside me, kissing my cheek in greeting as she reached for a bowl of cereal. "_Two_ brooms, if I remember."

"It was an accident!"

Finally anger-free, Freddie lost the shade of red he'd been sporting and turned to further add to the blonde's mortification. "We told you from the start that you're a bloody menace when trying to play Quidditch."

"Fuck off. I know how to play—"

"Please! You don't even know what side of the field you're supposed to be in!" Freddie interrupted his cousin's defensive comment for himself.

This entire thing was really hilarious, actually. And one—as a Malfoy and Slytherin especially—enjoyed and took full advantage of a morning when you could bring a Weasley and a Gryffindor down a peg. "And to make it worse, Weasley, you left with giggling witches after the tryouts—while your Captain was helping McLaggen cure her black-eye and bruises."

"Well, they thought I was brilliant!"

"Because you bewitched them!" Potter took reigns over the conversation now. "We saw you, mate. You even tried bewitching the Captain with your Veela eyes to get into the team."

I choked on the Pumpkin Juice I had sipped on to wash down my eggs. "Isn't the Gryffindor Captain a bloke?"

Louis turned bright red as the other Weasley and Potter both smirked tauntingly at their cousin. "...I'll just have to owl her more flowers," he muttered uncomfortably. "I've got to make this right. We haven't had a fight like this since I forgot to pull out that one time we were—"

"Oi! Shut it," I hissed at the crude git; reaching over and covering Emily's ears as her emerald eyes went wide at Weasley's lack of tact. "Some people are still eating, don't gross us out."

Potter smacked my hands away from his girlfriend's head. "We've got bigger problems than Coral McLaggen, Louis." He threw a claiming arm around Emily's shoulder and pulled her closer to his side; ignoring me giving him the finger and Emily's disapprovingly look. "We didn't get into the bloody team! And if Gryffindor loses against Ravenclaw, we are surely going to get expelled because of that bet we made!"

Emily detached Potter's arm away from her to give him and his cousins a parenting stare. "If you three didn't cause so much commotion in the tryouts you would've been a part of the team—except for Louis, that is. But you and Freddie had a chance. And if you go through with whatever ridiculous bet you made with Ravenclaw there's no telling what Mrs. Potter is going to do to you."

"For the sake of the future generations, let's hope Mrs. Potter hexes them so badly they can't reproduce," I interjected before any of the Gryffindors could respond. Smirking widely at them, I threw the strap of my schoolbag over my shoulder. "And just so you know, the Seeker for Ravenclaw is Olivia Boot this year. And we all know she's their secret weapon."

Redheaded Weasel dropped his jaw, Blonde Weasel stopped paying attention before I started talking, and Potter glared at me when I kissed Emily's head before I left them behind and started heading out of the Great Hall.

I had several things to do before my morning Charms class—specifically writing back to my mother before she sent me, yet again, another letter this week. Being a Slytherin is all about reputation, and not in the I'm-a-Pureblood-and-I'm-holier-than-you manner, but in the I-must-be-aloof-at-all-times. And that was rather hard when your mother kept sending you letters on a daily basis, especially ones from Weasley Wizard Wheezes that read themselves out loud. I was almost tempted to terrorize a Hufflepuff to get my cool rep back when the entire common room heard the heading of my mother's letter—'My darling, baby boy'. (If it wasn't for my natural Malfoy persona, which comes in handy to scare people, the terrorizing would've happened; but now only older Slytherins taunt me.)

Like it's a habit in this castle whenever you're in a bloody hurry, I was turned from my direction to the exit of the castle by a firm hand. "I need your help."

Blinking for a few seconds, I found angry brown eyes looking up at me. "Good morning to you too, Weasley. I'm doing dandy, thank you."

Rose narrowed her eyes at me. Eight something in the morning and the girl had already lost all her patience. Brilliant. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" I dared myself to say, seeing where the limit was to try and get a snog from my girlfriend.

With a frustrated sigh, Rose lifted herself on her toes and placed her lips over mine. Before I could even tilt my head to the side to get a profound snog out of her, she had already pulled away and sank back onto her feet. "I need you to tutor Madison Mulciber for me."

"Who?"

"Madison Mulciber," she said through clenched teeth, nodding her head back.

Peeking over my redhead's shoulder I saw a blonde girl standing in the middle of the entrance corridor with her arms crossed over her chest. She was petite, and despite the Ravenclaw robes on her, the curves of her body were visible. She had been frowning, but when she noticed that I was looking her expression turned into a pensive one. I would've said that I'd never seen the girl in my life, but her dark blue eyes triggered the memory of an encounter I had in the library a few weeks ago.

I cleared my throat, looking away from the girl and back at my girlfriend. "Why can't you tutor her?"

She grunted, and I wasn't sure if it was at me or at her life in that moment. "I've got to go talk to McGonagall about me tutoring that bint! Professor Alan assigned her to me, and if Hogwarts doesn't want to see a student murdering another student in cold blood, then someone needs to remove her away from me!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the girl?"

"_Everything_!" Rose hissed at me. And when it looked like she was going to hex me, she settled herself by taking deep breaths. "Madison Mulciber was best friends with your ex girlfriend, Scorpius."

"Who is my ex—"

"Belinda Rookwood." She slapped my arm when she frowned at me. "Look, I'm not going to speak ill of the dead, no matter how evil Rookwood was, but Mulciber is just as nasty as Rookwood was. This girl _hates _me, Scorpius. And I'm not about to sit with her for an hour every other day because she'll make it impossible and I _will _kill her."

At the mention of Belinda's passing—a Slytherin girl I had a brief fling with last year, but was my friend more than anything and the one who made me realize I was in love with Rose—I felt uncomfortable. I hadn't stopped to think about Belinda since her funeral last summer because of how happy I was with Rose and life, but now I felt like a royal git. Who forgets about the dead?

"...Okay," I began to speak again. "I'll do it. Just tell me what I need to help her with."

For the first time, Rose smiled. It was giant, glittering, and full of relief that it made her sparkle. "Thank you, Scor," she breathed out first, grabbing one of my hands and squeezing it tightly. "Just help her with last week's D.A.D.A lesson; make sure she gets the concept of enhancing spells when broken apart. I'll get back as quick as I can and relieve you of the misery her company is."

I smiled at my Gryffindor. "You owe me a proper date, Weasley," I said as I squeezed her hand back. "Next Hogsmeade trip. And there better be some proper snogging involved."

"I always snog you properly." There was a naughty smirk on her face that made me nervous—in the best way possible, of course. But before I could let myself fantasize about anything, Rose turned on her heels and headed towards the direction of the Head Office.

There was a frosty feel to the air as I approached the Ravenclaw girl my girlfriend was desperate to try and get away from. It made me feel nervous again, and this time it was an intimidated, unsuspecting one as her dark blue eyes pierced their way into my silver ones.

Why did I have the feeling this wasn't going to end well?


	13. At the Wrong Place, At the Wrong Time

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 13: **At the Wrong Place, At the Wrong Time**  
**

**POV: **Lily

Something was wrong.

Something was completely off with the way my regular day begun, proceeded, and ended. I hadn't gotten to the end of the day yet, but the beginning and middle of it was starting to make me think that it wasn't going to happen the way it always does and the way I like it.

To retell the tale, let me just say that my regular morning starts off with a kick and a whine, especially since Roxy starts jumping on my four-poster until I'm angered and I have no other choice than to wake up to chase her down onto the floor of our dormitory and straddle her back and pull on her hair; threatening that if she dares to do that one more time she won't live to see the sunset. After that, I would have a silent frowning competition with Lucy—who was still not talking to me—but she hadn't been there to judge me in mute like she always does. I thought that was strange, but Roxy, ever the informative, said that our dearest cousin hadn't shown up to sleep the previous night. (And that was far more bizarre because Lucy Weasley was _not _the rule-breaking witch.) Pretending not to be curious or worried about her whereabouts, all because we refused to acknowledge each other for the past weeks, I showered and dressed myself for the expected boring day that awaited me.

Down at the Great Hall, I walked in with Roxy, parted ways with Hugo who met us every morning outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, and we settled ourselves at the Gryffindor table. As per usual, the table had been buzzing with loud conversation and laughter, so the possibility of not having the regular loud, frantic, and hysterical breakfast with my relatives and friends had not crossed my mind. Well, I was surely corrected when I noticed that no one but James, Emily, Rose, Malfoy, and Zabini were present. My brother and his girlfriend tried to stick to the norm, with him eyeing her like she bewitched him, her blushing, and him telling a story that made everyone close enough roar with laughter. And somehow not caught in their regular bubble of love was Rose and Malfoy, who were sitting across from each other, but were clearly tensed from the other's company. A frown creased my cousin's forehead while her boyfriend reflected his surname by a cold expression on his face. Roxy and Zabini, I cared not for so I paid them no mind.

My first three lessons proceeded as they always did, but it wasn't until we were let out for the first break of the day that I noticed another unusual thing. Far away from that too pretty girlfriend of his, Al was sitting on a bench with a dark-haired witch that was fresh to Hogwarts, a certain Ophelia De la Cruz. They were sitting close together, facing each other, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that there was serious chemistry between them. (Well, if you call my brother's flirtatious smile and the girl's half-lidded eyes chemistry.) After that spectacle, I was heading away from the gardens to make my way back to the castle—after stumbling upon Artie reading a book underneath a tree by himself,_ a bloody book_—when I spotted a missing person: Lucy. My cousin hadn't been in any of our lessons so far, which had added to my contained worry, but there she was, sitting on top of a hill with none other than Lorcan Scamander. The boy had kept his head down the whole time that I watched them, and I concluded that he must've been in a great deal of emotional pain because Lucy was giving him sympathetic eyes. (And Lucy was never sympathetic towards anyone.)

The short break of the day had been over and done with and I found myself sitting back in a dimly lit classroom and hearing a teacher drone on and on. That continued for two more lessons until we were dismissed for dinner. With a loud groan and stretch of arms, I proceeded with Roxy once again to the Great Hall. Expecting, like a damn fool, to have my regular loud, frantic and hysterical dinner with my boyfriend, family and friends, but I was once again misled when Roxy and I showed up and just found James and Emily.

After that silent dinner, I headed to the library, which was free of Madam Pince because, as the rumour has it, the old hag had a formal dinner to attend to. And as if that wasn't weird enough, especially with Binns being in charge of the head of the library—which basically was him rambling incoherently to himself, the demented ghost—I found two people together in a lonely aisle that shouldn't have been alone together in the first place.

"Oi!" Stomping my way into the aisle, I pulled out my wand and lit it with a quick _Lumos _to see the faces of the two students instead of their shadows. "What the hell is this?"

Still with his arms tightly wrapped around a blonde, the brown eyes that belonged to my boyfriend looked up at me with a bit of surprise. "Lily—"

"So this is where you were all bloody day?" I snapped, cutting Liam off before he could say anything else. "I looked for you, Liam!"

He didn't let the girl pressed tightly into him go. His arms were still clutching her around the waist, her face pressed to his neck. "Lily—"

"What are you even doing, Liam?" I interrupted him again, my anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach. "Do you know how this looks? I've told you plenty of times that it's not okay to be alone with her! She needs to learn to back—"

"_Lily, shut it_!" Startling me, Liam's yell was added onto the list of weird rubbish going on today. He never raised his voice at me, _ever_. It made me press my lips into a tight line, but my eyes were sure to express my surprise.

Giving me a firm stare, which was so rare for him, Liam glanced down at the girl he was holding. He moved his hands from her waist to hold the sides of her face as he pushed her back slightly, gently, to stare at her face. With a muffled something, the girl shook her head and used her hands to shove him roughly on the chest. Thrown off by it, Liam stumbled back onto the giant bookcase and the blonde got away.

Before she did, however, I caught sight of blue eyes overflowing with tears.

The Gryffindor boy settled himself quickly, taking a step forward, almost as if he was going to run after her, but his eyes found mine for a quick second and he stopped his movements. He frowned at me, crossing his arms.

I coward slightly. "Sorry," I mumbled. (See? Weird rubbish! I don't usually apologize.)

"She needed me, Lily," Liam stated. "And we've talked about this—"

"I know." He frowned deeper. "Sorry," I repeated, pressing my lips tighter so they wouldn't let out any more interruptions.

He sighed. "Nia is my best friend, Lily, and nothing is going to change that. She was clearly upset, why wouldn't I go out of my way to make her feel better? She needs me, Lily."

He paused and I got the indication this was my turn to speak. I didn't, though.

"Your brother is behaving out of order, you know," he continued on when I said nothing. "I don't know what it is because Nia refuses to let me know, but he made her cry—_Nia doesn't cry_."

Well, that can be added onto my list of bizarre crap going on today, then. "You're not going to say anything to Al, are you?" I raised my eyebrow at him. Liam's the peacemaking kind, so to think for a moment that he would go up to my brother to defend his best friend seemed rather odd. But then again, today's not going according to plan.

"No," his response was immediate. "Nia wouldn't like it if I meddled. But if he doesn't let up, then I will."

I smiled. "You're amazing." I started approaching him, forgetting all about my previous annoyance. "As much as I'm a jealous bint, I have to admit that you stay seriously loyal. To me and to Harper."

His harshness was instantly melted away and that smooth, charming smile that was always littered with love and cheer came back onto his face. He was quick to open his arms, wrapping them around me as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sorry I haven't seen you all day."

I pressed into him. "It's okay," I moved us back a few steps, pressing him back against the bookcase, "you can make it up to me later tonight."

And as I squeezed tighter into him, trying to leave no centimeter of space open, my ears picked up a groan from him. And it wasn't the type of groan I was expecting to entice from him. "Lily," he sounded frustrated, "don't."

"Don't what?" I asked, pretending not to know where he was going when I lifted myself onto my toes, pressing my mouth against the side of his jaw.

My lips moved from the skin of his face to the smooth one of his neck. His breathing became a little haggard, but the boy still managed to think coherently. "Lily, we're in the library," he mumbled, gulping as I nibbled on his skin. "We're going to get caught."

"Then we'll go somewhere we won't," I whispered, tracing my tongue a little closer to his ear. "How about the Room of Requirement?" I took his earlobe between my teeth, lightly pulling. "You can have your way with me there."

Any other circumstance—any other boy—and that guaranteed invitation to a very fun night would've been taken advantage of in an instant. But like it was so bloody accustomed, Liam was not about to take it. The hands that were shakily holding my waist loosened and fell, moving up to grip my extended arms to push me away from him.

"I don't think so," he said, suddenly somber.

"Why not?" I furrowed my brows, not pleased. (Pun intended, by the way.) "We won't get caught, Liam. I can easily borrow the Invisibility Cloak from James. Live a little."

"Think a little," he retorted instantly at me, frowning. But he did not elaborate on what he wanted to say or what he meant. Instead, he dragged in air through his nostrils, shook his head, and maneuvered me several long inches away from him. "I've got to go. I have an essay to complete and I need to find Nia."

An irate expression took over my features; slightly appalled. "You rather do your homework—you rather listen to Harper's sob-story than to spend some time with me? What's your problem, Liam?"

"What's yours?" He retorted, now angry himself.

And like the weird day that I'd been having, Liam didn't stay to talk things through like he usually would if we were in a spat. No, instead he passed by me, accidentally shouldering me out of the way and he disappeared out of the lonely aisle of the library.

Slapping a palm on my mouth, I let out a shrill scream before following pursuit. Stomping my way, not paying attention to my surroundings, I collided with what felt like a bookcase and I was knocked backwards. Cursing at the pain crawling on my forehead, I glanced up to hex whatever was standing in my way. And I would've—except if I cursed someone rather than something, I'm sure I would've gotten expelled before I could even make a run for it.

Black eyes were staring at me, a glimmer of amusement dancing in the foreign gaze as they looked down at me. "That must've hurt."

"You think?" I snapped at the boy with a Spaniard accent. "Who the hell stands in the middle of a hallway with a collection of books?"

"Someone putting the books away," the boy responded smoothly. "Besides, who runs into a pile of floating books?"

I didn't reply. I just glared at him.

That seemed to amuse him more. "Are you just going to stay there?"

"Are you going to help me up?"

At my idiotic retort, the boy actually did step away from the floating books to stand before me. His smirk grew wider as he looked down at me, scattered and with a few of his books around me. He extended his palm forward. "Feel free to help me put these books back."

I snorted. "You're joking, right?"

His smirk went crooked. "It's the least you can do, really." He cast a levitation spell to put the fallen books back on top of the pile. "Actually, I can use the help. Professor Alan wants me to get acquainted with the library so he's making me put all the return books back to their rightful place. And, honestly, I paid him no attention when he was giving me a tour around it."

Lily L. Potter didn't do things for people, for people she didn't know that is, especially if they mocked her, but the day had already gone to the dogs and one more odd thing on my shit-list wasn't going to hurt anyway. Rolling my eyes, stretching to my toes, I picked up a small book from the pile and looked back at the Spanish boy. "You'll have to pay me."

He grinned, aiming a flick of his wand to the books and it started floating ahead. "I'll find something to give you." His dark eyes twinkled mischievously. I liked it. "I'm Octavio De la Cruz, by the way."

And as his palm was extended forward once more, I smiled. "Lily."

The handshake upon strangers lasted a little longer than necessary, but later I would find out that it was destined to be so.

* * *

**AN: It's November 23rd, 2012. As most can tell, it's taking me a while longer to re-edit this story, and for that I apologize. I do have a little more time on my hands now, so I'll be working more on this story. Thanks for sticking around for those reading!**

**Also, I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving! :)  
**


	14. Take cover! It's a Weasley Christmas

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 14: **Take Cover! It's a Weasley Christmas**  
**

**POV: **Rose

She was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were focused on the crystal ahead of her. She didn't blink, hadn't for a while. It was like her focus was transfixed on whatever it was that she thought was reflecting off the glass. But it was just her: pale skin, blonde hair in waves down to her elbows, and blue eyes painted in shimmer, making them glitter more like true sapphires.

But I knew her. She wasn't seeing herself, wasn't seeing the beauty we all knew she was. After all, she never did see the same thing reflected off that glass that we all saw. What she saw was her flaws, her problems, and everything bad she's ever done. She judged the reflection, judged and didn't forgive or let loose. It was heartbreaking.

"Nia?" I called the blonde, clearing my throat.

Slow and with such effort, my friend blinked away from the conjured mirror to look up at me. The first time she'd met my eyes in over an hour. I suppose it was my fault, however. I should've stayed quiet, I should've not said anything—especially if I knew that all of it was affecting her more than she let on.

But what was I supposed to do? She's my best friend and she's withering away little by little, day by day. I could see it, she couldn't hide it from me like she attempted to hide it from everyone else. She was losing her fiery spark and it was starting to scare me. It was my duty, as a friend, to figure out what it was, right? I couldn't just let her slip away; let her suffer by herself.

Mum always said I tended to meddle. She said I got that from her, and Dad couldn't agree more. Can we be blamed, though? We see people hurting, of course we want to help! That's who we are. So how is this any different? If I said it, if I crossed a line, I did it for her. I did it for Nia.

But maybe I shouldn't have.

"What do you think about this one?" I gestured to the third dress I had tried on that day. "Do you like it?" It was a sheath dress, sleeveless, pale silver and completely sequenced. It molded perfectly onto my body, ending mid-thigh; looking like reflective glitter had been painted on my skin.

I headed to the vanity in my room, bending slightly to pick up the black booties I left on the bench of the elegant station. "It'd go perfect with these, right? Molly got them for me for Christmas; says they're a big muggle trend right now."

I sat on the bench of my vanity, picking up the left heel and unzipping the side of it. I slipped my foot in and quickly did it to the right one. Standing, feeling taller and very feminine, I smiled. "I'm not very experienced with heels, but a simple cushioning charm can make life a lot easier, don't you think?"

"Why did you say that to me?" She wasn't looking at my attire, wasn't even bothered by it. "_Why_ would you say that?"

My smiled died. "Nia," I began, letting out a tired sigh. "Forget it, okay? I crossed a line, I was out of place. I'm sorry."

"Would you lie to me?" She asked, ignoring my signals of dropping the subject and my uncomfortable facial expression.

"Of course not."

"Then, tell me." Her voice was rough now. "What did you mean by what you said?"

I closed my eyes, sighing again. "Nia, please just let it—"

"I'm not going to let it go!" That startled me. "So I'm a doormat then? Have I become one of those girls I've always made fun of in the Common Room, Rose? Have a seriously lost myself to a boy?"

I sat back down on the bench of my vanity. "I never said you were a doormat," I clarified first. "All I said was that you're losing yourself. For goodness sake, Nia, look at you! You're withdrawing into yourself, you're getting quiet, and I _know _that you cry when you think Emily or I are sleeping. If you were just honest with me—with _yourself_—you'd be less of a mess."

She swallowed roughly, swallowing her emotions most likely. Her blue eyes hardened a little, just like they usually did when she was brewing something over. She stood from the floor, her bare feet taking her to my bed. "Just with myself?"

"With him too, Nia."

She sat down at the edge of the neat bed. "I don't like this, Rose." It came out as a whisper, blue eyes hiding from me as they looked down at her lap. "I...I don't know what I'm becoming or what I'm doing. It's like...It's like I don't know how this works."

"That's understandable," I muttered, sympathetic and relating.

She shook her head, waves swaying. "I'm not good with relationships, Rose. All I've ever had was Liam and I was okay with that. I only knew how to be myself around him, I knew how to just live and act, but then...then all of you came into my life and it was different." She looked up at me and I wished, for once, that she wouldn't. Her eyes were filled with tears. "How do I love him, Rose? How do I make...How do I make a relationship work when I'm not good at loving people?"

I swallowed a knot of my own. "Nia, I think you're the person among us that loves the most." And it was true. She was fierce as a lion, but she was loyal to the end. She loved and cared blindly for those in her heart and life. "And you make your relationship work by loving him the way that you do. You've learned to adjust, to let him in...It starts there."

"But why do I feel like this?" She asked, sounding so naive and scared. "Why do I feel like Al is breaking my heart? Why do I feel so...Am I missing something, Rose?"

How do you tell your best friend—a girl who's never had a relationship, a girl who's new to the concept of loving someone else, a girl who never lets her guard down—that her relationship has hit a roadblock? And that's really what it was, everyone could see it. Al was slowly withdrawing from her, becoming less affectionate, more rough, more vague, and he suddenly had a new friend that he'd drop Nia for in the moments that he should've been spending with her.

Nia wasn't stupid, she knew something had shifted but had no clue what it all could mean. She was scared—terrified because she didn't know how to fix something that was not visibly broken. She was in the relationship, her heart was invested in it, and so she _felt _it to the core. And just the same way she was new to love, she was new to insecurities, jealousy, and panic.

I tried talking to Al, to see if I could deduce what it was that had shifted in their relationship, but I came up with nothing. His green eyes glittered at the mention of Nia, just like they did all the previous years that he'd been silently in love with her, and when asked, he would say that he loved her and everything was fine. I would've believed him, but as my cousin, knowing him the way I do, I saw flashes of a mask covering his true thoughts.

He was changing.

"You just need to talk to him," I finally replied, trying to sound sure of myself. "Don't bottle it up, Nia. Talk to Al. I promise things will work out."

She nodded once, exhaling and inhaling. And magically, by default or just because that's how well she's trained herself, the broken emotions that Nia harbored and had previously expressed were gone. Her blue eyes had dried the unshed tears automatically, and her beautiful and flawless face was back to being aloof.

"What's the deal with you and Malfoy, then?" She stood from my bed, heading back to the long mirror that was taking up the center of one of the walls of my room. "Still mad at him?"

A frown instantly took up my face now. "Is he still tutoring Madison Mulciber?"

"Sometimes you just can't take the Malfoy out of a Malfoy, can you? Evil is always going to attract evil." She snorted to herself, but from the reflection she caught my angered expression and dropped the smirk she pulled on. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm glad you agree with me and don't think I'm paranoid by thinking that Mulciber is a descendant of the devil."

"I'm not as informed about the muggles' view of God and the Devil as you are, but I'm well aware Mulciber is the spawn of something detestable." Smoothing down the flowing, enthralling, aqua-blue skirt of her two-tone dress, Nia turned to face me looking partially annoyed. "It's been three weeks since Malfoy started tutoring Mulciber and he still thinks she's a fucking bunny? She's brainwashing him, you know that, right, Rose?"

"I _know_," I groaned in a very unladylike manner. "At first, I was relieved that I managed to shake off tutoring Mulciber myself. I love Scorpius, mind you, but I didn't care that McGonagall had pinned her on him for a couple of days. Scorpius had assured me that the Headmistress was going to find a suitable tutor for the witch, and then he tells me, _a week later_, that he actually agreed to be her permanent tutor."

Sighing, I stood up from the bench and walked to my bed; needing the pacing as anger started bubbling beneath my skin. "I'm not the jealous type, Nia, I swear it. Scorpius could be friends with whoever he pleases, but Madison Mulciber? I told him she hates my guts, has for years! She made my life a mess with Belinda Rookwood; only difference being Rookwood thrived on public admiration of the horrid things she'd do to others."

"We shouldn't speak ill of the dead, Rose," Nia interjected, sounding serious as she frowned at me. "As evil as the bitch was."

I rolled my eyes. So I didn't particularly like Belinda Rookwood, Scorpius' fellow Slytherin and fling in Fifth Year, but I suppose Nia was right. "The point is I know the truth, Nia. I know that it was Rookwood _and _Mulciber that were out to get us Gryffindor girls, and Scorpius chooses to ignore my plea to get rid of her. I don't even know if I'm being an overbearing girlfriend or if I'm justified."

Slipping on silver pumps—a gift from my cousin Molly that she really didn't expect to be getting—Nia became the epitome of those fashion models that make the rest of the female gender feel disgusting. "I think you're justified, but I also think—and may my dead grandfather forgive me—that Malfoy's right too. You don't get to choose who he's friends with..." She paused for a moment, blue eyes flickering with sadness, speaking from a personal place, but quickly gathered herself. "Mulciber is harmless, Rose. Yes, she's a two-faced witch, but she doesn't have it in her to do anything. Ever since Rookwood died last year, the girl just walks around by herself or keeps to her Ravenclaws. She won't be a problem."

Breathing out through my nostrils, I looked at my blonde friend intently. "Do you really think so?"

She nodded. "Now, let go of that grudge. You know Malfoy loves you, and this anger between you is not normal."

"—Agreed." _Knock. Knock._ "Kiss Malfoy under the mistletoe and get over it."

Turning my head to my doorway, petty annoyance crawled up my spine as my brother leaned against the doorframe with a smirk. His dark hair was disheveled, looking exactly the way it did when he woke up, and he was still sporting his flannel pajama pants and bare chest.

"You're supposed to knock before you open the door, Hugo, not after."

My brother shrugged, still smirking casually. "I didn't know if you ladies would hear it over all your girl-talk." He flashed his inherited blue eyes to my friend. "Looking exquisite as ever, Harper. So very grateful that my sister invited you to get ready here before heading over to the party."

I made a disgusted face and Nia scoffed at his flirtatious attitude.

"What do you want, Hugo?"

He glanced back at me and lost his swagger and replaced it with a puppy-dog look. "I need a favor."

"If this is about you forgetting to buy Mum and Dad a Christmas gift you can forget it," I scolded him as my palm went over the giant box on my bed that Nia had helped me wrapped as I showered. "I told you two weeks ago that you were old enough to go to Hogsmeade and take a look around for yourself."

"This isn't about a bloody gift, Rose—though I already got it, thank you very much." From the pocket of his flannel pants, Hugo pulled out a slightly dented and wrinkled envelope.

Frowning, I thought of a nonverbal to summon the card to me. "You could've at least gotten them each a card, Hugo. It's not like they cost more than a knut."

He watched me tug the card into the ribbons of my gift and ignored my comment. "Back to my favor, I need you to distract Mum and Dad from the upper level of the house."

One of my brows went up. "What for?"

"I've got a guest coming through for a few minutes—or however long it takes, really—and I don't want Mum or Dad seeing them crossing the Floo upstairs. It's kind of private."

"However long _what _takes?" I questioned. "And who are you trying to hide?"

Hugo glanced at Nia, and to my irritation, they both shared a knowing look and chuckled. And I knew perfectly well that they were laughing at me. "Can you do this for me or not, Rose?"

"What's in it for me, then?"

"I leave out the fact that you and Malfoy tend to disappear frequently inside a broom closet on the Fourth Floor when Dad asks for his monthly update on you and your Slytherin."

I felt my cheeks burn and Nia started laughing loudly. "Fine," I brushed off my embarrassment, "but you know Mum always goes into the office to finish grading papers from her university classes before we leave. If I'm going to distract them both it's going to be memorable and slightly traumatizing."

My brother looked intrigued. "Deal, then. I'll continue lying to Dad about you and Malfoy sneaking off, and I promise to forget the fact that Roxy let it slip that she saw you buying lingerie from that exotic shop in Diagon Alley yesterday."

"I—that's—I didn't buy anything!" I really didn't.

"You and Harper each came out with a bag," my brother said, unimpressed with my blurt. "On one hand, Al's a bloody lucky bastard if he gets to see Harper in lingerie. Malfoy...Now, how long will it take Dad to apparate to Malfoy Manor and make sure your boyfriend never has kids and or eyeballs if he finds out?"

Frowning at my brother, I sucked in a deep breath and stomped my way out of my room; shoving him aside as I found courage to head to the living room of our home.

"Mum," I called, taking one for the team.

As I entered the room, Mum raised her head to look at me as she put a pause in the box she was wrapping in gold material. "Rosie, what is it?"

Dad looked up at me too, chewing on a Pumpkin Pasty that I knew belonged in the collection of boxed sweets Mum had gotten as a Christmas gift for Uncle Harry.

"I...erm...I need some help." I looked away from Dad instantly.

"On?"

I groaned internally. "_Sex_."

Dad spit out the sweet, coughing wildly, and he started turning blue. His eyes were wide and filled with fear.

"I just want to know the type of contraceptive spells there are and what kind of potions are most likely to work," I explained quickly. "I just want to have this information from a reliable source, and I know you two waited years until you had Hugo or I so I know you're the ones with information. I just...It's just so I won't end up pregnant like Dominique."

Dad was choking all over again.

"Of course," Mum replied carefully. She patted the seat next to her on the sofa and I hesitantly walked to her. "Now," she continued as I sat, "are you really just curious because of what happened to your cousin or are you and Scorpius—"

"I'll kill him!"

"No, no!" Dad and I shouted at the same time, but I explained quickly before he did head over to Malfoy Manor and killed my boyfriend. As much as I wanted to aim a hex at Scorpius for the Mulciber thing, I didn't want him handicapped. "This is simply educational, I swear it."

Mum then went on to tell me about methods I was perfectly aware of; all while Dad looked frozen and miserable and traumatized.

Happy Christmas, Hugo. You owe me.

**X**

"Happy Christmas, Family!"

"Happy Christmas, Uncle George!" As the first one to react when a tall redhead with a giant rucksack hanging off from his shoulder entered the garden of the Potter home with a very loud entrance, as we were all accustomed to, Artie had to be quickly restrained by Uncle Percy when the boy attempted to leave his seat around the massive table.

The same intrigued and hungry look that was on my youngest cousin's face was also reflected off the oldest ones too. Louis, James and Freddie stopped focusing on the things they were before Uncle George walked in, mischievous grins on their faces and trouble-making glints in their eyes.

One who was not as happy to see the man was Grandmum. "George," she began with her shrill, scolding tone as her gaze went to a frown, "how can you be this late? We've already eaten dinner and are now on dessert and tea!"

Always up to get his older, trouble-making and rude brother into trouble, Dad smirked readily. "Yeah, George!" Chunks of his unchewed food flew out of his mouth and Mum frowned at him with deep disapproval. "How can you be this late? Inconsiderate!"

"Chew with your mouth closed, Ronniekins," Uncle George retorted in a merry way, not concerned about Grandmum's scowl. No, he instead focused on the one on my mother's face and grinned. "Terrible manners, you're putting to shame everything 'Mione has tried to teach you since before you got married. What will the guests think?" He nodded over to the Malfoy and Zabini families. "You better not be expecting a very acrobatic Christmas gift when you go to bed tonight, ickle Ronnie. Hermione will withhold sex from you for another month, just watch."

I cringed, disgust at the tip of my tongue, and everyone looked as appalled with Uncle George's comment. Well, all except for Mum and Mister Malfoy. No, the blonde man was smirking into his goblet of Firewhiskey, quite amused, and Mum was glaring more intently than before.

"_You told George our business, Ronald_?!"

Before Mum could kill Dad with those powerful nonverbal hexes she's famous for, Uncle Harry cleared his throat loudly from the end of the table where he sat. "You missed dinner for whatever is in that sack, George?" Bless his soul. Uncle Harry was still wedging his way between Mum and Dad's fights after all these years. "It must be important, then, if you were willing to risk a scolding from Molly and Angelina."

"Everyone just lay off my dad," Freddie interjected, wedging his own way to prevent his parents from arguing when Aunt Angelina began shaking her head slowly and threateningly at her husband's direction. "As long as there's something wicked inside that rucksack for all of us, what's the point of being mad at him?"

"That's the point, Freddie," Aunt Ginny cut in before anyone else could say anything in or against Uncle George's defense. "Whatever is in that rucksack is surely for you, James, Louis and Artie—nothing good can come of that."

As his mother labeled him a troublemaker, James frowned at the smug looks Lily and Al threw his way. Sure, we all knew Al and Lily had an attitude and maybe a habit of getting into trouble, but nothing compared to the grief James put Aunt Ginny through.

"Come off it, Aunt Ginny—" Louis was right on time to move to the side when his mother's wand went to smack him beside the head for his audacity and tone. Grandmum Molly was frowning too, but Louis, ever the protector of his own skin, made sure Victoire blocked him from view. "We're just mere children," he continued. "We would never do anything devious that'd put shame on the family name."

Snorting, Dominique pushed her plate of untouched dinner towards Mister Zabini's place. He, of course, happily took the offering; ignoring the scowl his wife was giving him for accepting it as he unbuttoned the top button of his trousers. I could see why Lucas said his mother blamed the Weasley/Potter clan for the extra ten pounds her husband had put on since socializing more with us.

"Shame fell upon the family name once you three were conceived," Dominique teased darkly. "You lot should take a lesson from us girls. We've never done anything wrong or degrading." She sent a wide smirk at me and I giggled.

Louis looked unimpressed as he raised a single, blonde brow at his redheaded sister. "Is that so?" He scoffed. "Because I was under the impression that you're currently six months pregnant." Thick silence pierced the Potters' garden when Louis mentioned the unmentionable. "Seventeen, pregnant out of wedlock, and still living at home while the git that got you pregnant is nowhere to be seen most days. Why, _yes_, Dom, I'd say you're the perfect example of greatness in our family."

All eyes were on Uncle Bill's youngest children, completely focused, tensed, and nervous, that no one seemed to see when Dominique whipped out her wand and pointed it at her brother. Everyone took in a giant gulp of air in unison. "_Oppugno_."  
The fireflies that had been flying silently over our heads—more like magical, tiny, decorative lights instead of a nuisance—suddenly went straight towards Louis' face. He didn't even get a chance to blink when they reacted as darts and they used his face as the board.

"Dominique!" Aunt Fleur shouted, looking so appalled that her daughter would so such a thing.

Louis screamed as he attempted to slap the little things away from him. His chair tipped over in his panic, making him land on his back.

"Say something else, I dare you!" My pregnant cousin shouted.

"I hate you!" Louis roared, still waving his arms about without much luck of getting rid of the fireflies attacking him.

"I hate you more, you fucking twat!"

"_Enough_!" Standing from his chair, with a great roar that shook up the entire garden, making even the fireflies halt, Uncle Bill faced Dominique with destructible eyes. "Go inside, Dominique, and you wait for me in there."

At the roughness in which her father spoke with, Dominique zipped her lips together. Her green eyes, so alike Uncle Bill's, filled with angry tears, but she didn't dare say anything in response—she never did when it came to him. Instead, she shoved her own chair back, making it tumble, and she stomped her way to the backdoor of the Potters' home without a look back.

"...Someone's a bit sensitive," Roxy muttered to Uncle Harry. "And you do know that when Dom's angry she takes it out on any objects she finds, right, Uncle Harry? She usually tends to start a fire."

Looking away from his niece, Uncle Harry exchanged a knowing look with his wife. Aunt Ginny nodded and sighed. "Fleur, maybe _you _should go and talk to her instead of Bill. Make her see reason."

"I'm going to kill her—" Louis growled between his teeth, speaking before his mother could respond to our aunt. He accepted Freddie's hand and rose back up from the grassy ground with a blotched, swollen face. "Right after she squeezes out that kid I'm killing her!"

_Crash!_

Off in a daze for a while, Scorpius finally came back to the now as he jumped on his seat from the sudden commotion.

I patted his thigh and he smiled at me.

_Crash!_

The family winced as another shattering sound echoed from inside the home. Victoire, however, was the only one to stand. "I'll go," she said as put a hand on Teddy's shoulder.

"Victoire—"

"No, Dad," she interjected at the strict tone her father was already spewing out. "You're not going to calm her, you're just going to upset her more. Besides, I'm practically a Healer. I'll know how to settle her before she upsets the baby."  
As my blonde cousin headed to the backdoor of the house, the people still seated at the table began to slowly break the awkward tension left in the air. Aunt Fleur attempted to fix her son's face; Dad went directly to take a slice of pie; Mrs. Malfoy and Aunt Ginny went into a conversation; Uncle Harry was speaking to Uncle Bill now; Mister Malfoy was leering at my mother while she narrowed her eyes at him and whatever he was telling her that caused him much amusement; and Uncle George let Artie and Freddie take a look at what he brought.

"Last year was definitely much safer," Scorpius spoke quietly to me as I felt his fingers lace through mine. He brought our clasped hands on top of the tabletop, smiling sweetly and handsomely at me. "As amusing as you Weasleys are, I'm a little worried for my own face right about now. You're all too violent sometimes, love."

Wasn't that the truth. "It happens," I sighed, rolling my eyes at the accurateness. "Every few years one of the holiday dinners has potential to become a massacre. The last time it was this bad was when Aunt Ginny thought she was pregnant again and Lily couldn't stop crying. She was ten and almost flung herself off the roof when Uncle Harry refused to sell the baby if it were to come."

He looked terrified and his eyes found Aunt Ginny.

"What?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Can you imagine someone with unstable, pregnant hormones that can be worse than Dominique?" He continue to eye my aunt. "Mister Potter truly _is _a hero."

"Then you really have a problem, mate." Scooting his chair closer to us, a huddle started to form with the younger participants of this dinner, James sneered at my boyfriend. "Weasley women are mental. And if you're planning to stick around for life, may Merlin have mercy on your soul if Rose ever pops out a little Malfoy heir."

That image made me nervous, but Scorpius smiled; his fingers squeezing mine.

"Good thing my Emily is a saint." Pulling our American friend off her chair, James guided his girlfriend onto his lap. His arms went to snake around her waist, tightening protectively. "When she and I have kids—"

"Don't put that sick image in my head," my boyfriend snapped. "If there's hope in the world, Emily will realize you're a worthless twat and she'll leave you for someone more agreeable."

James simply gave Scorpius the finger, making Lily and Liam, Al and Nia laugh. "Malfoy, if your life depended on that ridiculous hope you'd be dead. Em and I are in it for the long haul. Marriage and kids are in the tea leaves, mate."

There was another round of chuckles but Emily was not looking amused at all. She shot me a look—it was a scared one. Her emerald eyes filled with panic, her chest started rising a little hectically, and she swallowed roughly.

"You're birthday is approaching, Al." Trying to help, trying to ease my friend's fear, I changed the conversation. All eyes blinked towards the dark-haired, green-eyed boy sitting next to the gorgeous blonde girl in the group. "You've yet to tell us what you have in mind."

My cousin shrugged. "Sixteen is not that important, really," he said casually, throwing an arm around the back of Nia's chair and embracing her by the shoulders. "Besides, I've got everything I want."

Nia tensed.

For goodness sake! Was it put-my-friends-in-an-awkward-situation day or something? How many relationship problems could possibly be going on at the moment, honestly!

"Listen, Nia, I'm going over to the Greengrass' place tomorrow for tea," Liam, also noticing what I noticed, turned to his best friend. Lily raised an eyebrow at him, looking somewhat confused, but she kept her mouth pressed into a tight line as her boyfriend looked at the girl across from them. "I know we're going to end up having a little get-together for Al's birthday in the evening, but I was wondering if you'd want to stop by at my relatives' with me? We can come back to Godric's Hallow together."

Both young Potter siblings frowned at Liam.

"Would I ever leave you alone at the mercy of your despicable relatives?" Nia smiled dimly at her best friend. "Of course I'll go. I've been working on this complex hex anyway, and with your disgusting cousins there's a high chance I can practice on—"

Nia stopped talking suddenly, losing her smile and friendly and supportive gaze when Al's arm released her shoulders. He stood up, a giant grin on his face and, "_Ophelia_!" Bloody hell. "You made it!"

Cringing, I turned in my seat as Al started hurriedly and excitedly making his way towards the backdoor of his home. Exiting out of it was that new Spaniard student: Ophelia De La Cruz. She wore a slick black dress that pooled around her ankles, a black blazer keeping her from the cold, and chunky silver jewelry. Her lips were painted burgundy and her exotic, dark eyes were rimmed with only mascara.

"_Hola_, Albus," she greeted, a grand, unknown smile on her face. I didn't like it; didn't like the feel of her. She embraced my cousin, kissing both his cheeks fleetingly. "_Feliz Navidad._"

"What the actual fuck is she—" I slapped a hand over my boyfriend's mouth, silencing him before he added fuel to a fast-burning fire.

Up ahead, Al took one of the girl's hands into his and he started pulling her. "Come, I'll introduce you to my family."

Slowly, hesitantly, very afraid, one by one we started to turn around in our seats. My eyes glanced to my best friend, a wince already spreading all over my body when I noticed her face. Warning signs should've really been flashing all around the garden right about now.

"What are you doing?" I snapped as Scorpius pulled me up from my seat in a sudden movement.

"Good call, Malfoy," James said fleetingly as he too made Emily stand. He pulled his wand out, pushing Emily behind him when the intruder's laugh echoed around the garden area. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Lily rose an eyebrow at us. "What the hell is wrong with you lot?"

"You see that?" Scorpius pointed a finger at the blonde girl's direction. We all watched as Nia's blue eyes were ablaze, all while focused on the girl hanging about Al and our family in a distance. "That's what war looks like."

Liam frowned at his cousin. "Nia—"

"_Shhh_!" James hissed at our fellow Gryffindor. "Don't you dare call the monster onto us, Greengrass!"

Emily and I exchanged a worried glance before directing it to our friend. Nia's blue eyes that were usually serene like a calm ocean were now suddenly deep navy; matching the hue of the night sky above us, but far more cloudy and thunderous. Her rosy cheeks were now red, and the grip she had on her goblet of Pumpkin Juice was lethal.

And suddenly, the goblet started making bubbling sounds. Merlin, her magic was reacting without her knowledge.

"She's going to blow!" James shouted, dragging Emily far away from the table. Scorpius pulled me along with them, too.

This really was going to be a very violent Christmas.

* * *

**AN: December 8th, 2012 and I'm still re-editing. It's taken much more time that I anticipated, but I hope that changes soon. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the changes I've made thus far. And if you continue on, I LOVE YOU. Thanks for the support! You're all so lovely. **

**Cheers. xoxo  
**


	15. Visible Scars

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 15: **Visible Scars**  
**

**POV: **Emily

_Crash_.

"Who the bloody hell does he think he is?!"

_Crash_.

"What gives him the right to open his troll-sized mouth to judge me? _Me_?!"

_Crash. Crash._

"Dominique—"

_Crash_!

"I should hex his bits off! Just so he'll end up adopting a kid with his life-partner named Fernando!"

"Dominique—"

"Can you believe your father?!"

_Crash_.

"The audacity that man has to defend him! Like he was not talking rubbish as usual! It's like he swears that fucking twat isn't an imbecile! How we're all related, I'll never know!" Dominique raised a dish up in the air from where she sat on top of the kitchen counter and her emerald eyes focused on the door entrance. "—_Can I help you_?!"

My eyes opened wide at the dish in her hand and, just to be safe, I took a cautious step back. I shook my head in response, a little too afraid to speak. This girl was so unstable with her rage she'd forget that I was always nice to her and I'd get a face full of glass.

The dazzling beauty that was Victoire Lupin sighed with exasperation from her place beside her sister. Her glittering blue eyes found me, looking calm and sympathetic as she walked her way to me. Her expression, however, made it perfectly clear that she was not amused and she'd lost all her patience before I even came in.

"Come on in, Emily," the blonde woman said to me in a friendly manner. "Ignore Dominique, alright? She's in a bizarre rant right now and, seeing as nothing's going to stop her, mind as well pretend like the crazy, pregnant girl doesn't exist."

"I'm not angered!" _Crash_.

Victoire narrowed her eyes at her sister as she put an arm around me, pulling me along with her as she added closeness to her insane sister. I wasn't even sure if she was being welcoming or she was planning to use me as her shield.

"You better be fixing those, Dom. Continue to destroy Aunt Ginny's possessions and she'll no longer allow you to enter her home," Victoire warned her younger sister as she pulled out a chair for me.

A dim smile is all the graduated Ravenclaw got from me. I thought it'd be a good idea to take a breather, ditch James for a moment as he talked to his grandfather, but now I wasn't sure if I was safer outside, risking James and his nonstop chatter, or in here; where Dominique was currently running amuck with sharp objects. I just wanted a moment to breathe, to think, to conclude—but you don't really get quiet, peaceful moments whenever a Weasley was around.

"I wonder if there's a law against beating impregnated witches," Dominique voiced randomly, turning to her right and noticing that her stack of dishes was now gone. "Mind you, we all know Dad's temper. And from his expression earlier, I'm sure he's planning a smackin' when we return home."

Victoire frowned at her sister, yet she still managed to pour a glass of water for me. I raised my brow at the action but said nothing. She was now running a hand on my back in a soothing manner, like she could sense my distress. "Don't be ridiculous," she was the one to speak. "Dad has never struck us, Dominique, and I doubt he'll start doing it now. Besides, I don't know how many times I've got to tell you that they're not angry with you, they're just frustrated. You have to understand that—"

"Blah. Blah. Blah," the redhead interrupted her sister, rolling her eyes. She stopped twirling her wand casually between her fingers and pointed it at the littered floor. "I get it, I'm daddy's little girl and I completely sent it all down the toilet. I messed up terribly and now I must live with the consequences until I give birth to Rowle's bastard baby."

The blonde witch's beautiful face pulled on an expression of absolute outrage. "Dominique," she gasped, "no one has ever called your child a bastard!"

Dominique didn't say anything for a moment. Instead she chanted the Reparo Charm and watched as the broken fragments of dishes started piecing themselves back together; stacking automatically in a pile into the cupboard where they'd been taken from. "No one has said it, but you know that half the family is thinking it." She glanced up at her sister, suddenly less mad and more sad. "Don't think for a moment that Bill and Fleur don't feel ashamed that their youngest daughter ended up pregnant while she was still in Hogwarts."

"It's not ideal, Dominique, but they're not ashamed," Victoire retorted in a defensive tone. "If there's anything this family is it's _supportive_. I don't know where all of you get the idea that the family is out to get you, but it's mental. We're all one and we all—"

"Why are you here, Taylor?" Once again interrupting her older sister, Dominique flashed her bright eyes at me—bright eyes scouting for a distraction and a change of subject. Her previously hurt features were now aloof. "And I hope you told James you were in here or else he's going to start forming a squad to go hunt for you."

I frowned.

"Dom—"

"Oh, I'm just taking the piss, Victoire!" The redhead waved off her sister, not caring for her scolding eyes. "Besides, Taylor knows herself how insanely protective our cousin is. I'm sure she's all giggles about it."

The frown did not drop. I was well aware that James' protectiveness and possessiveness was an issue and I'm sure some people picked up on the fact that it bothered me, not to mention that they'd made plenty of jokes over it, but I didn't like the fact that his family joked about it. Or that Dominique was giving me a look that suggested she knew something about how I could be feeling.

No one knew how I feel.

"Anyway," Victoire cleared her throat. She gave her sister another scowl but then she turned to me and smiled. "I heard things with James are going really well. You should hear Gran and Aunt Ginny, Emily; they talk quite a lot about you."

"Good things, I hope," was what I finally responded.

Her smile stretched and she nodded calmly. "Of course. Aunt Ginny reckons you're the best thing that's ever happened to James and Gran couldn't agree more. They feel that you have the potential to straighten him out. He's changed so much since he's been with you."

Dominique snorted. "Please. James has become more practical in _hiding _his offenses because Taylor doesn't like having a trouble-making boyfriend." She turned to me, giving me a leer. "Sorry, love, but I just doubt that anything can ever make James less of an idiot."

Victoire glared and I laughed.

"She agrees with me!" Dominique added when her sister didn't let up with her frown.

"I love James with all my heart, he's the best thing that's ever happened to me, but I doubt that anything can change him. He came like that and there's no guarantee to exchange his bits to make him function normally. I just got used to his reckless ways, and I love him for them too."

The blonde clucked her tongue at me.

At this, Dominique groaned. "Here it comes. Get ready for it, Emily."

"I used to think the same about Teddy," Victoire began, making her sister roll her eyes, point her wand to her head and pretend to shoot herself with a curse. "He used to be such a pain in the ass; completely annoying and barbaric. I can't tell you how many detentions I had to assign him when we both were still at Hogwarts. I saw as Aunt Ginny attempted to beat him senseless until he got the point of his ways, none of it really working, but then _I _came along."

"And, oh, the horror!" Dominique squeaked, summoning a plate of treats to her that was between me and Victoire. She looked at them longingly, like she'd missed them, and placed them on the ridge of her round belly.

I stared at it, at her stomach, and felt like my heart broke inside my chest. She looked so glowing, so beautiful, and so happy. She thought her family was against her pregnancy, yet that never stopped her from shining in that pregnancy glow. She was carrying a life inside of her, a life that was meant to be there, that was growing this very second. She had a product of her love with Derrick Rowle inside of her. It was pure.

Mine had not been pure.

I could've been like her...I could've developed the round belly, I could've glowed the way she did, I could've supported a life in my womb. But I didn't. I was raped by Lance Greyback a few months back and I desperately wanted that...the fetus to be taken out.

And it was. It never got a chance to grow.

"...he was openly in love with me and that's all it took. I straightened him out and he's a better man for it. And believe me, Emily, that's all it takes." I blinked away from the pregnant redhead when I felt nauseous only to discover that Victoire was still speaking to me. "You and James will be together possibly forever, I've seen it in the way you two are, and unless you start putting your foot down you'll end up married to Uncle George. Merlin knows Aunt Angelina can't contain that man even if she begged or attempted to put him under the Imperius Curse."

_Forever?_

"In other words, Victoire's the holy savior of all those who are damned to the fiery pits of hell. She rescues them with her veela eyes and enchants them to be good little boys. She shakes them up to into being marriage-material blokes. And for the price of just five Galleons, she will fix yours in a jiffy!"

Victoire did not laugh at Dominique's amused comment. "I _did _fix Teddy and you know it. If it wasn't for me—"

"_Ow_!"

"How many times," Mrs. Potter entered the kitchen, hanging onto a tall, blue-haired man by the collar of his shirt, smacking him on the shoulder with her wand repeatedly, "do I have to warn you about giving your brother ideas?!"

"It was not an idea! It was a suggestion!" Teddy winced at another smack he received, the wand-tip scraping his face as he attempted to block it. "_Ow! Ow_!"

"Comedian you think you are, boy?"

Teddy extended a hand to his wife, but met with Mrs. Potter's wand. "Vicky, help me!"

"Oh, you fixed him, alright." Dominique laughed, shoving another sweet into her mouth.

Victoire groaned, shaking her head with a loud sigh passing her lips. She walked to the two new incomers, and when she got to them, she removed the hold her aunt had on her husband.

Teddy gave her a large innocent smile. He was met with a disapproving frown.

"We better be going, Aunt Gin. We've a party to attend to at one of my classmates' flat. I'm sorry about this, really."

Mrs. Potter nodded. "You think about suggesting things to your brother again, Teddy Remus Lupin, because next time you won't be so lucky." As she finished threatening her eldest son, she turned to her niece and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a lovely time, sweetheart."

Teddy, always trying to be the apple of Mrs. Potter's eye, launched himself to her, embracing her in a bear hug while his wife shook her head. "Dom," the blonde focused on her sister now as Mrs. Potter gave in and kissed her son's forehead, "are you staying?"

"Nope." The pregnant witch jumped off the counter, reaching for the plate on her stomach before it could crash on the floor. "I've got to see Rowle tomorrow morning. I better be heading to bed, anyway."

Teddy frowned at his sister-in-law. "Like that's a good idea considering what just happened tonight."

Dominique gave him the finger. Sighing once again, like she was surrounded by children, Victoire put down her sister's hand and held onto her wrist. With a wave, a thanks for the hospitality and gifts, the redhead and the Lupins disapparated from the kitchen.

From doing so, the plate of sweets fell to the floor and broke.

Mrs. Potter muttered angrily about constantly telling them it was not okay to disapparate from inside and how Mister Potter was going to get a talking to for allowing apparition inside their home. She pointed her wand at the mess and it instantly cleaned itself up.

"Hectic Christmas this year, huh, Mrs. Potter?"

"Ginny, dear. Call me _Ginny_." The woman looked at me with half a scolding look and half tired expression. "And with this family every Christmas is hectic, sweetheart. That's why we keep having them here. Merlin knows that if we held them in the Burrow, like we used to, my parents wouldn't have a place to sleep in."

I laughed lightly, but it echoed around the lonely kitchen.

Realizing that we were now alone, the redhead woman gave me a profound look before she crossed the small distance and took a seat on the chair Victoire had been previously occupied beside me. "How are you, Emily?"

A groan wanted to pass my lips. Not this, please.

"Good, thank you."

"You know I'm not one to pry—"

"And I like you for it, Mrs. Potter,"

"—but I can't help to notice the miserable looks you give my niece." Her stare was firm as it dug into my confused, defensive one. "Or the miserable looks you tend to wear when you think no one is looking. And, of course, the worried expressions on my son's face when he looks at you."

I was angry now. No, I was bothered and annoyed. (Same thing, really.) "James has remained worried since last year, Mrs. Potter." She scowled at me for the proper address, but I continued. "I've tried telling him that I'm perfectly alright but he chooses to ignore them. And...And as for Dominique, I don't give her any stares."

_Liar, liar,_ the voices inside my head came to life. _Tell her the truth. Be honest. _

Shut up, shut up. Leave me alone.

_You know you can't—coward. You'll never speak the truth. You will just continue to hide, to lie, to _pretend_. But you don't even do _that _well. They notice it; they all do. They can see it in your eyes. You're a hopeless case._

"I understand that Dominique's pregnancy might be hard on you, Emily," the woman continued, not knowing about the argument going on inside my head, "but I thought that's what you wanted. I thought...since you lost your baby...It wasn't your time to be a mother, sweetheart. You were just fifteen, and granted Dom is not of age either, but she's going to be having her child with a man she loves. You didn't have was a product of violence."

The voices stayed silent for a moment. My hands trembled and I had to place place them on my lap, underneath the table so my boyfriend's mother wouldn't notice them. I didn't want to prove her point. I didn't want to prove James' worries true. I didn't want them to know my fears.

"...Not to mention my brother would've hated me more than he already does."

Her brown eyes looked a little saddened. "Things have not gotten better between you two?"

"He prefers not to deal with me. Not that I can blame him for it; sometimes I wish I didn't have to live with myself…But we're all cursed in our own ways." It left my mouth before I could stop it and I damned my emotions. Before she could comment on it, the frown on her face suggesting I wasn't going to like the scolding, I continued speaking. "A few months ago was our parents' seventh anniversary. Of their death, that is."

_Shut up! Don't you dare bring that up! That's private!_

"I wrote to Nick before we were let out for the holidays, asking him if we could possibly fly down to the States to visit their graves…He refused. He wants nothing to do with the past and I'm included…He's counting down the days until I'm seventeen and out of his care."

_Well, of course he wants nothing to do with you. He hates you. You're a burden, a symbol of everything that's gone wrong. You're the reason why his life's a mess. Getting rid of you will give him back freedom—you ruin everything._

Mrs. Potter shook her head. "I don't believe that. He loves you; you're his sister, Emily."

A humorless chuckle escaped from my lips and my eyes became watery. "I doubt that he does…But I don't mind. I love him enough that it doesn't matter. He's my only family and I'm not—"

"_We _are your family, Emily." Mrs. Potter got up from her chair and walked towards me. She placed her warm palms on the sides of my face, kneeling down in front of me. She looked at me with adoring eyes; a stare that was so typical for a mother to a child. One that I never saw on my own mother. It broke my heart some more.

"Regardless of you dating James," she said gently to me, "you've been a part of the family since the day you became friends with my Albus. Since the moment that you didn't think twice about taking the torture curse for James and for the days you spent showing Lily around the castle when her own brothers wouldn't do it. I'm very fond of you, darling; and for me and Harry you're a part of this family. And you will _always _be."

Tears raced down my cheeks from the heartfelt words she said to me. A rattling sob was building at the back of my throat, wanting to come out, but I had to shut it down. No matter how much I wanted to embrace her, sob on her shoulder for something pure and warm that I've never received before, I couldn't. Crying would just lead to confessions that should not be told.

"Why do you care so much, Ginny?" I asked.

She patted my cheek softly, a smile on her face for finally referring to her as she'd been wanting me to. "I see so much of Harry inside of you." That couldn't be true. Not at all. "The situations were different, but he was in the same state when he was younger. He had no one that cared about him, just an aunt, uncle and cousin who treated him like your brother does to you. He had no real family. His parents died when he was still an infant, did you know?"

I nodded. The story and history of Harry Potter: The Chosen One was the one most excitedly learned in History of Magic. It was taught every year of the seven a student completes at Hogwarts.

"He always had us, though. The Weasleys were always his family from the very start. We showed him that we loved him, that people genuinely cared for him, and that we'd go to the ends of the world for him. And that's exactly what I want my family to be to you. Regardless of the distance you try to keep, Emily, I know you love us with all your heart. And we love you just the same."

The voices were silent again.

I swallowed. "I….I really do love you all."

She smiled that warm smile again.

"Ginny—"Entering the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley, previously known as Hermione Granger, strode in with a bottle of what looked like Firewhiskey. A part of me was relieved she interrupted the moment with Mrs. Potter. I couldn't take any more of the hurt. "Ronald and Draco are going at it again. This time they're singing with the encouragement of Harry, Bill and George. If I get near any of those idiots I will curse them, and I rather not in front of the children. You need to contain the situation."

Mrs. Potter frowned, shaking her flaming red hair in a disapproving, slowly angered manner. She placed a quick kiss on my hair before she addressed her sister-in-law and longtime friend. "We better knock them out. If Mum sees Ron like that one more time I don't guarantee that you'll have a husband."

"Well, Astoria and I will be burying our husbands together because Scorpius is holding on to her for dear life. Rose is attempting to help the situation, but Draco keeps pulling her into a hug." Mrs. Weasley waved at me, throwing a smile as she and Mrs. Potter exited the kitchen as the latter suggested St. Mungo's Program for the Alcoholic Wizard.

It didn't take two seconds after their departure and the solitude before memories exploded inside my head. I had tried to subdue them, I'd been doing so for years, but from all the family talk and love and understanding and emotions—they just wanted out.

No matter the consequences they brought to me...

'_I'm talking to you!"_

'_I don't want to hear it anymore, Nick! I'm tired of you and your past-century ways!'_

'_This was your idea too, Amelia! You wanted this! Don't you dare put on the mask of hurt whenever we leave from the airport! You know that you don't give a damn for that kid!'_

'_He's my son, you monster!'_

'_Really? Did it ever cross your mind that he was your son when you suggested we send him to Tokyo?!'_

'_You wanted to get rid of him completely, I had no choice! God only knows what you were planning to do to your own son because of your embarrassment of what he is!'_

'_Don't turn this on to me!'_

'_You never loved that boy, Nick!'_

'_And neither did you!'_

_Through all the yelling there was a small whisper_. '_I love him...'_

'_Be quiet, Emily!' It was a surprise it was heard. 'How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of the conversations your father and I are having?'_

'_Don't yell at her, Amelia!'_

'_Keep your eyes on the road, Nick.' A slap echoed. 'Don't go pretending that you acknowledge Emily now. You don't care about her, you never have.'_

'_Oh, shut up, Amelia! She's my daughter. I've raised her, I've provided for her. Of course I fucking care!'_

_A mocking laugh was then let out. 'But of course! She's your pride, isn't she?' It was sarcastic, taunting. 'You'd cast her off too if her blood wasn't as pure as what runs in our veins. You keep her with us because you need her.'_

'_Don't go there.'_

'_Imagine, Nick, the more shame it would've brought to the Taylors if Emily had been born a Squib, too. Imagine the shame your prestigious family name would've received if you would've produced _two _useless offspring! The horror!' From the rearview mirror, emerald eyes looked at the back seat of the slick car running at a high speed. 'Be very grateful, Emily, that you're a fully bred pureblood or your father would've done away with you too.'_

'_Don't feed the girl lies, Amelia! I love them both, they're my children. If anything, _you're_ to be blamed! You're the one that produced the Squib!'_

'_This is my fault?! If I recall, _your _family has a few squibs! My family tree is perfect; we're all pure!'_

'_Oh, Amelia. Do not forget that you have an aunt that's a dirty Mudblood. I rather have Squibs in the family than filth as relatives.'_

'_How dare you?!' After the appalled shriek, there was a fumble coming from inside the woman's purse. Something was then pulled out from it._

'_Do not pull your wand out on me! I'm your husband and you respect me!'_

'_Stop this car! Stop it!'_

'_Quit the dramatics, Amelia! Where the hell are you going to go in middle of traffic?!'_

_Sounds came from the backseat._ '_Mom — Daddy, please stop fighting.'_

_The woman struck her husband with her wand_.

'_Mommy, stop!_

_The man growled, reaching for his wife's wand hand and pinning it down. The woman let out a cry of pain._

'_Daddy!'_

'_How did I ever fall in love with you_—_'_

'_Join the fucking club, Amelia!'_

_Cries from the backseat._

'_I hate you, Nick!'_

'_The feeling is mutual,then!'_

_More cries from the back. _'_Stop! Stop!'_

My eyes blinked rapidly as the memory continued to play in my head, terrorizing me. The voices in my head weren't the usual ones that pained me, but it hurt just the same. The voices of my parents yelling at each other disappeared when the sound of metallic parts bursting filled my ears. There was a loud scream, coming from a little girl, and then I felt the tumble; I felt and saw myself rolling inside the car.

Tears filled my eyes and my wand acted by its own accord. The tip illuminated with a hex and I pressed it to the skin of my arm. The spell didn't die, it seeped into my skin. It cut it. It sliced it. It opened up my skin, one layer at a time.

'_What's the damage?'_

'_There's nothing we can do, the front passengers are dead. There's a little girl in the backseat, though.'_

'_Is she alive?'_

'_We're trying to get her out without causing damage. There's a faint movement coming from behind her eyelids. She's probably unconscious, but we can't really be certain. There's a shard of glass piercing her left ribs. She needs to be removed with care or else the chances of survival are minimal.'_

_There was movement: voices, sounds, cars in the background._ '_What happened?'_

'_Impossible to be accurate, but it seems like the car exploded.'_

'_Must have been a failure in the motor.'_

"Emily, Mum said if you wanted to stay over the—" I didn't have enough time to shake my head from the voices of the muggle paramedics inside my head declaring my parents dead and attempting to save me. Nor did I really have time to pull the wand away from my flesh before James' eyes widened in shock at the sight of the new thin, red lines bleeding that would soon join the other scars on my arms.


	16. Things Lost that Night

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 16: **Things Lost that Night**  
**

**POV: **Nia

"You're joking!" Mrs. Molly Weasley let out a high giggle as she continued to manually pour water to the glasses that needed refilling around the small, gathered group. "Are you _really _the new Minister's niece?"

"—It's true, you know." Lily Potter spoke up as she, among the others in a separate small group eavesdropped on the conversation going on a few yards from them. "We all know that Kingsley's retirement was a shocker for our community two months ago, but she actually is the niece of Emilio De la Cruz."

"How do you know that?" Liam asked his girlfriend, a tone of curiosity in his voice.

There was a pause for a moment. "I'm sort of friends with her brother Octavio."

"You're friends with—_since when_?"

"We met in the library," the Potter girl replied offhandedly to her boyfriend. "Anyway, he told me that's why they moved from Spain to Britain. The Minister's their legal guardian; something because their parents are unfit to take care of them. It's a bit sad, actually, but their uncle seems to really love and provide for them."

A little bit of silence again. "You just met the boy and he already told you something _that _personal?" This time it was Rose that broke it.

There was an exasperated, irate sigh but no one in the group of teenagers said anything when the conversation ahead got louder.

"Mother, please!" Percy Weasley looked a bit annoyed himself with whatever it was that Mrs. Weasley had said. "I'm sure Miss De la Cruz doesn't wish to divulge anything about her personal life—or the Minister's for that matter."

Mrs. Weasley looked carelessly at her son and his clear warning. "Nonsense, Perce! We're all good friends here. I've met the Minister, remember? Besides, you can't blame an elder citizen of our community to wonder if the man's married or not. I have a few friends that would be suitable if he isn't."

Sitting beside the dark-haired intruder, a grin on his face, Al rolled his eyes playfully. "Gran, all your friends are over eighty. The Minister's no older than thirty!"

Relaxed in her seat, acting like she belonged there, basking in all the attention, Ophelia De la Cruz laughed like it was such a grand day.

Raising a discreet brow at the unknown girl, Mrs. Potter cleared her throat as she glanced at her mother and her eager need to get to know more of the De la Cruz family. "Mum, Percy's right. We should not bother the girl with any questions, it's not polite. Can we just enjoy the cookies Victoire baked that we've yet to try?"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love Mrs. Potter. She wasn't impressed with the girl sitting beside her son. No. Mrs. Potter could spot filth just as easily as I can.

_Crack._

"—Whoa! Easy there, Harper!" Blinking my eyes, focusing on those around me, I was right on time to see Malfoy's hand block Rose's face as fragments of glass flew in different directions.

From her seat on his lap, the redheaded girl lowered her boyfriend's hands from her face to look at me. She wore a concerned expression; slightly worried and nervous too.

Looking down from them, my eyes locked at my extended hand. The base of what used to be a glass goblet was in my hold. Other pieces of that goblet were also there, but they were jammed into the skin of my palms and fingers. Blood oozed out quickly.

It was disgusting.

"_Evanesco_." Looking up from the disappearing shards of glass from my hold, I found that it was Malfoy who had his wand forward. His grey eyes watched me carefully as he did so, something in them that I didn't like. Something like guilt. "_Episkey_."

My teeth clenched down together as the sliced skin of my hand and fingers started closing up together with magic. It burned, making me let out a silent hiss, but as quickly as it'd come, it went with a cold sensation.

"You should learn how to control your temper, Harper."

"Agreed, you lunatic."

Ignoring the little Potter girl, I instead narrowed my eyes at the blonde Slytherin ahead of me. "Maybe you should mind your business, Malfoy."

The rest of his facial features frowned at me, but the glint in his eyes still looked apologetic. They looked to be fighting to hide something. "Ungrateful much?" He snapped. "Look, I'm not saying it to poke fun at you, Harper. I'm saying it because, at your rate, you're going to end up hurting yourself or—"

"And if I did would you care?" I hissed in interruption. "Piss off, Malfoy."

Malfoy opened his mouth, about to retort and defend himself, but Rose's hand squeezed his thigh; halting him. She cleared her throat slightly and I knew she was about to attempt to restore peace. "Well, would you look at the time?" She had no watch. "I think it's time we go find our parents, Scorpius. I'm sure our fathers have already drowned all of Uncle Harry's liquor collection and are making a fool of themselves. Merlin only knows what our mothers would do when they find them."

"A little too late for that, Sister." Appearing right behind Lily's chair, Hugo Weasley aimed a carefree grin as he caught his sister's excuse to flee me. "Astoria is locked in a room with Dad and Draco while Mum brews a quick Sobering Potion. There's talk about sleeping outside and taking them to a rehabilitation center in muggle London."

Rose groaned. "Honestly, you'd think they actually _have _an alcohol problem on how piss drunk they get."

"You're two are to blame, really" Hugo interjected with another giant grin. "The only reason those two drink when they're in the same location is because you and the Malfoy heir are busy sucking face or having a serious relationship for kids your age."

The Potter baby chortled from her chair. "Well, at least one of Ron and Hermione Weasley's children knows about relationship. Can you imagine how much more they'd drink if Rose and Malfoy just fooled around publicly?"

"I don't fool around publicly," Hugo snorted. "Besides, I can get serious whenever I want to. I just haven't found the right person to be all sickly sweet with like my dear sister here."

"She's not the only one." Potter girl reached to the silent boy next to her and grabbed his hand. Liam looked up, giving her a dim smile.

Hugo stuck his tongue out in disgust. Good boy. "Love is overrated. Don't you think, Harper?" He turned to me now, his blue eyes glittering mischievously.

I always liked Hugo, but now I think I'd be okay with cursing his manly-bits off. I didn't miss the quick nod he did to the side where Al was.

"Don't get all scary, Harper," he continued casually. "I'm just saying I'm here to comfort you if you need it. Just bring that lingerie Roxy said you bought and I'm all open to console." He snapped his fingers, grin to a smirk on his decent-looking face. "In fact, just don't bring any clothing at all. I fancy you all natural."

I stuck my middle finger at him while Liam glared at the boy and little Miss Potter looked disgusted herself now.

Rose frowned disapprovingly at her fifteen year-old brother. She had that look on her face, like she was about to lecture and get parental on him, but Malfoy patted her leg reassuringly. "I think I better go now," he said. "Liam, you coming?"

Malfoy's cousin, by a cruel joke of fate, shook his head. "I'm going to stay for a bit longer. Tell Aunt Astoria that I'll Floo in later."

The Slytherin nodded at Liam. In a quick farewell, Malfoy kissed Rose's lips tenderly and promised to owl her in the morning. He bid Hugo and Lily a good night, jokingly told Liam not to be late because he'll be up completely worried, and then his silver eyes found me. They were guilty again. I was satisfied when he turned on his heels and started heading for the backdoor of the Potter home.

Firmly, Rose told her younger brother to head inside and see how their mother's Sobering Potion was coming along. As Hugo departed, a salute to her and a wink at my direction, my friend approached me.

"You're still showing up in the evening, aren't you?" She engulfed me into a tight embrace. "It's his birthday, Nia. And, besides, you know we planned on having a group date to London to celebrate it. You love the theatre and..."

Whatever it was that she continued to whisper at me, it sounded out of my eardrums. Ahead, just a few measly yards from me, Al casually draped an arm around the uninvited witch's shoulder. He smiled lazily at her, in a way that he hadn't a long time at me. It was smooth, easy, and interested.

It sent a jolt of hurt inside my chest.

Oh, how I begged the bitch would do something that would give me an excuse to hex her. I didn't give a flying Patronus who she was related to—mess with Nia Harper's things and she would show you crazy.

My newly-healed hand tightened around the thin, metallic armrest of the chair I was on. Bitch De la Cruz had just placed a palm on Al's chest, her fingertips running gently and too friendly over the material of his button-up.

Rose released her arms from around me and I suddenly felt like I could breathe. "Please, Nia," she said softly. Her brown eyes were still looking concerned, but they also had a plea for peace.

I said nothing as I looked away from her.

There was exchanges of words and sighs amongst Rose, Liam, and the Potter child as I concentrated on all these feeling inside of me. What were they? Why did they hurt? And was it my fault that they were there?

How the hell was I supposed to know any of this?

Feeling a hand on my bare thigh, I was a little stunned when I found powerful hazel eyes glowing with worry. They were the eyes of the only person I knew how to love.

I swallowed the knot in my throat.

"Are you okay?" He grabbed my hand that had been previously sliced.

There was a scoff in the background before I could even answer my best friend's question. "Oh, honestly, Liam, leave it alone. There's nothing to be upset about." Baby Potter narrowed her eyes at our direction, still glued to her chair but looking tensed.

"Lily," Liam called in warning. Good thing, too. I don't know if I can honestly handle a comment about my relationship or these damn feelings from a ten year-old, anyway.

But like it was to be expected, little Lily Luna did not catch on. "They're just friends, you two! Al's allowed to have friends, is he not? It's not like—" She had been pointing a finger towards the direction where her brother sat when she suddenly went silent and dropped it.

In said table up ahead, Bitch De la Cruz leaned too closely to Al, like they weren't on two separate chairs, and pressed her lips at the corner of his mouth. His eyes opened wide in surprised, she giggled, and Mrs. Potter frowned at the audacity the foreign witch had.

Fun time was over.

"Bloody hell...Kill her, Harper," the Potter girl muttered.

A scream wanted to leave my lips but I had to bite down on my tongue from letting it escape.

"Nia, no!" Pointing his wand at me in a swift, undetected movement, Liam held me against the chair when my brain had decided to let my body stand. I was going to head over and commit a murder the muggle way. (Merlin knows those anger management books Rose and Emily have so dearly invested on for me have gone straight to hell. No method in them was going to let me relax and reflect.)

For the first time in history, Baby Potter looked sympathetic and on my side. "Let her go!" She snapped at her boyfriend. "She has every right to bash some skulls!"

"Don't encourage her, Lily!"

The Body-Binding Curse had my bones locked, but I glared with all my might at my best friend. _Fuck you, Liam._

"—Ophelia, why don't you accompany me inside?" Ahead, I managed to see Mrs. Potter stand from her seat, a frown still on her freckled face as she looked at the intruding witch. Whatever polite hospitality she'd been holding was long gone. "We'll send an owl to your uncle so he can meet us here. I'm sure Percy would like a good chat with him."

Not having had catch what Slag De la Cruz did, Mister Weasley nodded and humbly confirmed his wishes for a quick chat with the new Minister.

"I always thought Emily was Mum's favorite, but she must really hold high regards for you, Harper, because she just gave you a clear opening to cause damage." The Potter girl turned to me, giving me that odd, sympathetic stare.

My usual glare or disapproving stare that was reserved just for her was long gone. It wasn't quite friendly, but I'm sure my eyes twinkled with gratitude.

The right corner of her mouth pulled into a smile. Her wand came out from the pocket of her trousers and then, "_Finite_."

"—Lily!"

"—Thank you!" Standing from my chair in an instant bolt, I shoved Liam down to the ground as soon as his girlfriend ended his jinx on me.

Surprisingly, as I hurried away from them, Lily was defending me and Liam was the one arguing. I stopped listening to that bizarre argument when I was within touching distance of Al. My index finger reached out to him, tapping on his shoulder and halting the conversation he was having with his Aunt Audrey.

"I think we better take this conversation inside don't you think, Audrey?" My boyfriend's grandmother cleared her throat, eyeing me like she could see the storm going on inside me. "Also, Perce, Artie must've fallen asleep in one of the rooms already. He was going to watch a few films with your father."

Mister Weasley raised a brow at his mother, like he didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to leave the garden. Nonetheless, he helped his mother up before pulling out his wife's chair. "We'll see how Ginny's going with that owl, too."

As the adults started leaving, Audrey and Mrs. Weasley looking back at me with caution, Al looked questioningly at me. "Where have you been?"

_Wrong thing to say from the get-go, Potter._

I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling the cold of this December night. "Where else would I be?"

He shrugged. "I thought you left."

_One, two, breathe. One, two, breathe._

"No," my teeth were gritted and it wasn't because of the cold, "I was right where you left me two hours ago. You know, before you disregarded me like last night's trash as soon as that De la Cruz witch appeared. Which is amusing to me because you _never _mentioned you invited her here."

There had been a casual smile on his face prior to my comment. Obviously, it wasn't there anymore. "Overreacting a bit, aren't you?"

Am I?

"No, I'm sure I have more to display, Albus."

He stood from his chair, his emerald eyes frowning at me. Why did he look like _I _was the one to be mad at? He was the one that left me! He was the one that allowed that witch to crawl all over him like I wasn't in a close distance!

How is this my fault?

He's been the one growing more and more attached to this bitch. Which, I suppose I can't choose his friends for him, but he hadn't the decency to introduce us to one another. If he was going to be chummy with some Slytherin bitch, didn't I at least deserved the respect to meet her?

This is how relationships work, right?

"Refrain yourself from being that jealous, overbearing girlfriend, Nia." For some reason he appeared taller and I dismal. "Because if that's the way you want to play it, I got things to throw back at you. I don't get that way when Lorcan Scamander and you are off together, do I?"

"Lorcan and I are just friends," I hissed at him. "Lorcan has never crossed a line with me to disrespect you or our relationship, Potter!"

"That's rich! Like I'm not perfectly aware that the git is still head over heels for you!"

"Lorcan doesn't like me anymore! Lorcan likes—" I stopped. I didn't have to give him explanations over Scamander's life. He and I were just friends, nothing more. "I would never do to you what you're doing to me, Albus."

"And what exactly am I doing to you?"

Through his frowning eyes it was like he couldn't see me. Were the tears starting to well in my eyes not visible? Could he not hear the strain in my voice, the quiver and the shake? Could he not see my chest heaving for air, my hands shaking, my shoulders slumming? Couldn't he feel the way my heart was breaking?

"You're being ridiculous, Nia." Obviously he couldn't.

I swallowed the knot in my throat. I tried to keep myself together. "Don't be a git, Al." It came out slow, silent, helpless.

"I think we had enough," was his response.

"Don't walk away, Albus!" He had been turning on his heels, giving me his back, and I shrieked the first thing I could. I was never the one to sound so pathetic, to sound like I was begging, but nothing was right anymore. It felt like I was losing control again. "Don't walk..._Listen to me_."

He turned back, but he was still frowning. "I don't want to hear you," he said with a cutting honesty.

In the background, I heard Baby Potter take a loud inhale. No doubt she was watching entertainingly with Liam.

"Are you daft?" I whispered at Al, my insides shaking. "You can't walk away. When a couple's having a fight they fix it. They don't make it worse by storming off." It was true, wasn't it?

He was still tensed, still firm and rigid like he couldn't see my logic. "And how do you expect me to fix this? There's nothing to fix. You're out of line, not me."

"Send her home." That's what I needed. "She shouldn't be here, Al."

My boyfriend scoffed at me with no amusement at all. "You can't be serious. You don't even know Ophelia—and clearly you don't know me. You might scare Liam into doing things your way when you put that frown on your face, but you don't frighten me."

Low blow.

"I'm not trying to scare you into anything!" You fucking idiot, Potter. "And, of course I don't bloody well know her! Nor do I want to! She's the bitch that practically snogged you—"

"_Just shut up, Nia_!" Al snarled at me.

It was a slap. It was a hard slap to the face, unstabling me and making me stumble back a few steps. My eyes went wide, feeling the sting, and I gaped with bewilderment and confusion.

Not once had he ever raised his voice at me. Not once had he ever dared to say something absolutely rude to me. He knew better, I would've cursed him.

Foolish Nia, where is your wand now?

My bottom lip trembled but I bit down into it. I didn't want him to see the mess I was becoming. Who the hell was I? And most importantly, who the hell was _he_? That boy narrowing his green eyes at me, frowning with a gleam of disgust, was not my Potter. I didn't even know who he was now.

"Last time I checked, you were my girlfriend, not my mother. Don't ever tell me who I can be friends with or who I can invite into my home. That way this," his index finger gestured to me and back at him, "will work out smoothly."

My lips parted but nothing came out. I was frozen.

"Goodnight, Nia." A pair of cool lips touched mine, barely. And before I could react, they were gone. He was gone.

I had asked him to send De la Cruz home and instead...instead he was sending _me _home.

One, two, breathe.

One, two, breathe.

One, two—

Arms wrapped around me and my face was pressed against a chest. It blocked my vision, but that was just fine. Tears had blurred my surroundings, anyway.

"Is she okay?"

There was a shake of the head, I could feel it. And then, Liam's voice vibrated from his chest onto my forehead and the tip of my nose. "Nia, I'll take you home, now, okay? I've got you."

That was perfectly fine, too. After all, I started sobbing like I'd lost something I didn't know was absolutely valuable and necessary for me. I started sobbing because I lost myself in this relationship—and because I was aware now that Al broke my heart tonight.

And that I lost my first battle against Ophelia De la Cruz.


	17. The Meddling Mister Lupin

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 17: **The Meddling Mister Lupin**  
**

**POV: **Dominique

_Knock. Knock._

"Dom!"

_Knock. Knock._

The knocking on my door had been happening for over an hour now. It shifted from soft, resigned, angry, to fully pissed off. It was kind of a cycle, really, and it was quite amusing for me to hear the emotions swerve. When it hit the rage point of the cycle, I was threatened with having the door bombarded open, kicked down, apparating inside, going to the backyard and scaling up the wall to crawl through my window, steal Uncle Harry's old house-elf to bring himself in, and going as far as to threaten me with singing the newest Celestina Warbeck song if I didn't open up.

"Dom!"

Right now, the cycle had gained a frustrated point to it. Frustration that I was not going to ease. "Go away, Blondie," I shouted at the door as I continue to stare at the ceiling of my bedroom, my back pressed to the mattress and my belly protruding out like a mountain.

There was a strand of beautifully mumbled curse words. "_Please_?"

I rolled my eyes. Like that would ever work. "I'm sorry, but Dominique Weasley is currently not available. She finds herself being a disgrace to the family as she continues to open her legs for Slytherin scum. If you wish to do so, please leave a message after the beep."

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"_BEEP_!" I shouted through the rough knocking.

There were more curse words. And then, surprising me, there was a loud, "_—Alohomora_!"

And just like in those muggle action films Molly loves to make me sit through with her, I sprung up from my mattress in a second. And in the next, my wand was out and being pointed at the person now inside my bedroom.

"Did you not hear?!" I crouched down, by some divine miracle because this belly didn't even let me see my toes. "I'm currently not available!"

Louis scoffed at me.

Glaring, I stood back into full height and marched over to him. My wand was still pointed forward, and it was now currently jamming into the tender skin of his neck. "Get out!"

"Lower your wand," he hissed. "I'm trying to talk to you here, you barbarian."

It was my turn to scoff.

"Seriously, Dom," he was back to being frustrated. "Remove your wand. If it leaves a mark, Coral might think I'm cheating on her and she'll murder me. You know how she gets!"

I jabbed my wand-tip harder into his skin; twisting it slightly.

"Bitch." I smirked as he turned in an angle, making my wand just scrape more on the skin of his neck. "_Mum_!" He shouted out the open door of my bedroom.

How did we get to this point you ask?

Simple.

Earlier that morning I informed our parents that I'd be going on an outing with Derrick Rowle—my baby's daddy—just to take a stroll around a few shops to buy some things for the extra twenty pounds in my womb. Mum and Dad looked hesitant to let me out with Rowle, but then my dear brother pointed out that they shouldn't be worried about me spending alone time with Rowle; after all, I had already lost my pureness and was already going to hell for my sins.

Explains why I want to kill him, doesn't it? He just keeps adding fuel to the fire. Dad had gone into a rampage about my future with Rowle again, just making me lose my want for that second batch of pancakes Mum had made me.

"You're such a little witch, Louis." I dropped my wand from his neck. "Can't even fight without bringing Mummy into the battle. Tell me, does McLaggen dominate you in your relationship, too?"  
"Piss off."

"I should've just let that dragon eat you when you were eleven and visiting Uncle Charlie in Romania. I don't know why I bothered to save you; clearly you fail at existing."

He rolled his blue eyes. "Please. You know you couldn't survive a world without your little brother. I'm like the secret ingredient to your Puking Pastilles. I'm the magic in your blood. I'm the birds to your Oppugno Charm; the bounce to your Chocolate Frog; the sting to your hex; the punch of greatness to your Firewhiskey—"

"You're the pain to my ass."

Pretending not to hear me, Louis shut the door of my room and summoned the rocking-chair from across the room. It'd been a Christmas gift from Dad to the baby, the only time he had actually looked joyful over my situation.

"I'm leaving to Hogwarts today," said my brother in a light tone as he settled himself on the rocking-chair. "Uncle Percy's supposed to be stopping by in an hour so I could head off to the Platform with them."

My frown was still unshakeable. "And what? You want pocket money for the train? Sorry, sweetheart; no can do. You're going to have to get your Chocolate Frogs some other way because I currently _hate _you."

He snorted, rolling his eyes again as he began moving the chair back and forth. That just served to add to my irritation. "I've got pocket money," he said casually. "Mum gave me a few sickles."

"Of course she did. Why would she not give her precious baby—"

"I'm here to talk to you, actually," he interjected, looking a little uncomfortable. "Well, I really didn't _want _to talk to you, but Teddy won't give me back those Quidditch tickets he got me for Christmas if I don't. I would've just told him to shove off, but I've learned my lesson that it's not wise to anger Teddy since he knows all those new Auror tricks. Last time I thought I almost lost my manly-bits."

Bloody Lupin. He was always meddling in matters that weren't his.

"Personally speaking, I don't give a damn about your manly-bits. So, if you please,_ get the hell out of my room_!" I pointed my wand at him again. "You've got five seconds. One. Two—" His blue eyes widened as the color of a spell started illuminating my wand-tip. "Three. Four—"

"Wait!" He scrambled out of the chair in a fast second, hiding behind it. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry!"

The spell preparing to expel from my wand stopped on its track, but my hold on the wand was still firm. I narrowed my eyes at the frightened boy. "No, you're not, Louis. You don't even know why you're apologizing. You're just in here to save your testicles, and I, for one, don't care for fake apologies." My wand was pointed again. "Now get out."

Eyeing me for a few calculating seconds, Louis foolishly started approaching me. His gaze was kept on my wand, just in case I gave my hand a little twitch and the spell shot out and blasted his bits right off. "You're a fucking lunatic, Dominique," he breathed. Honestly, was that a good idea when I was a flick away from making him a woman? "You need help with your violent lashes."

I said nothing in return for the moment, surprisingly. I marched over to the bedroom door and opened it. "Get out, Louis. I rather be alone with my disgrace, thanks."

"You see, _that's_ the problem!" He slammed the door shut, startling me. Was he not afraid of me anymore? Merlin's balls, what does a witch have to do to be feared around this bloody cottage? "Leave the dramatics aside, Dominique, and stop making yourself the victim!"

"Get out!"

"You're not the same since all this began!"

"I'm pregnant, you idiot!" I shoved him towards the front of my door. "It's called mood swings! What did you think? That I was going to remain peachy forever?! This kid is toying with my mentality!"

"That's your fault!"

"I'm fucking aware of that!" I growled. "Now, me and my bastard child would like some peace and quiet! We currently have a low patience for little fairies alike yourself, so get the hell out!"

I shoved him harder and he didn't flinch.

"I don't want to see you!" For Godric's sake. Do I really need to curse him? "Leave!"

"I MISS YOU, OKAY!" Clutching onto my hands, halting the attack they were having on him, Louis narrowed his blue gaze at me with incredible intensity. "I'm sorry I've been a sod to you, but I can't bloody well help it! We did everything together, Dom. You were more than just my sister, you were my partner in crime. You understood me and now all that's gone!"

I was struggling, attempting to knee him in the family jewels, but then I stopped. My body loosened and all I could do was suddenly notice how silent Shell Cottage had gotten and the way there was deep hurt on my brother's face.

"...I know that you have to start your life...your own family...I just didn't think it'd be this early. Your mistake took you away from me."

My bottom lip trembled. And it was not in that aw-how-touching-my-brother-really-loves-me-and-adores-me-and-oh-our-parents-should-be-very-proud-at-this-moment way.

"So my child's a mistake? Merlin, Louis, you know how to make pregnant teen feel dandy about herself."

Yeah, my eyes filled with tears in that stop-talking-now-you-dunce-before-I-murder-you-Don't-let-my-pregnant-belly-fool-you.-I'll-beat-the-rubbish-out-of-you way.

His hands squeezed mine tighter. "No, you dramatic bitch." He sighed. "I didn't mean the baby. I meant Rowle."

"Rowle's an excellent bloke," I defended. "And—regardless of what you may hear—he _is _the father to my child. He's going to be in my life forever. He's my world and everything good in it. I'd fight with everyone for him."

He released my hands. He shook his head once, those blue eyes glittering with an emotion that made me feel queezy.

Seriously, when did Louis become all sentimental?

"That doesn't mean you've been replaced in my life." Merlin, just take _my _manly-bits! "You'll always be my brother, Louis. Not that I have a choice, mind you; Bill and Fleur unfortunately gave birth to you and made us blood related. And, I suppose, that makes me one lucky bitch. You're the best brother I could've been doomed with and I love you."

He looked away from me. Selfish bastard! How dare he leave me in this sentimental rubbish by myself? He started it!

"I've...erm...got a few sickles underneath my pillow if you want them. I was going to use them to send an owl to Hogsmeade for some sweets, but I do know the train sells theirs too expensive."

Louis cleared his throat uncomfortably. "No, it's cool."

"I insist."

"Seriously, Dom; it's okay."

"Come on, Louis."

"No, it's alright." He smirked, looking up at me with his veela features. "I got them yesterday—and the ones inside of your sock drawer."

"Twat!" I hissed and slapped him beside the head.

He laughed loudly.

"Louis, Percy's here!" And before I could start laughing too, Dad's voice echoed from downstairs. "Get a move on, there's traffic!"

"We're in the middle of a bloody cliff!" My brother shouted back. "Unless we're flying in the air, there's nothing but birds around here!"

I raised an eyebrow at my brother. Was that even a wise choice? One simply does not talk back to Bill Weasley.

"Write to me, Sis?" And probably figuring that out a second too late, Louis was fast to get the show on the road.

"Once every three months," I said.

He grinned and engulfed me in a hug. It was an odd one, especially because it felt like I shouldn't let go, like my brother was suddenly my protector and I was in harm. Hugging him in that second felt like the happiest I was going to be for a while.

But not liking the affectionate side of myself, I ushered the blonde out of my bedroom after three seconds of hugging. After that, I gave him a dim smile as I closed the door behind him.

_Crack_.

Now I was just alone with no one but the creature developing inside of me and the one that had just rudely apparated into my bedroom.

"No need to thank me—"Teddy grinned from my bed with an extra dosage of smugness. He sat with his legs crossed in the middle of the bed, his dirty boots on my clean sheets. He also had a plate of Chocolate Cauldrons on his lap—my Chocolate Cauldrons. "But if you simply must, I like to be referred as Mister Lupin."

I frowned, whipping out my wand again.

People just never learned.

**X**

"Pink."

"Black."

"Pink."

"Black."

"Hello, I'm Lisa and I'll be in charge of showing you around." A small woman appeared with an eager essence about her. She had a short haircut that framed her scary, accommodating features. "Have you chosen the color yet?"  
"—Pink!"

"—Black!"

The redheaded woman—not family related, I assure you—smiled grandly at us. "Well, we are in a pickle, aren't we?"

One of my brows shot up at her high voice.

"Yes, we're currently discombobulated." As smoothly as he could, Derrick's black eyes and crooked smirk were mocking as he looked at the middle-aged sales-lady. "Absolutely befuddled by all these shapes, patterns, models and colors ."

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and I tried to contain the explosion of mocking laughter inside of me.

The muggle sales-lady nodded passively, like she understood that this was a grand problem. "Naturally," she said lightly. "I've noticed you two eyeing the cribs for the past hour. I can go into deep detail if you wish. Eliminate every model in the store until we have found the right one for you."

Oh Merlin, _no_. I cannot handle an overly excited muggle go on and on about their contraptions and other things about them that I didn't really understand. I just wanted a bloody crib for the baby, not to walk out with a headache. I haven't the foggiest why we chose to come to muggle London to do this, but I somehow felt it was my fault and now I was getting punished for it.

"Actually, we know what crib we want. We're just debating on what color to purchase it in," I told her.

The woman nodded again. "And what color would you like?"

"—Pink."

"—Black."

I rolled my eyes. "If you had a natural one that'd be loads of help."

"Sweetheart, you look far along to know the sex of the baby," Lisa the sales-lady said to me quite intrusively. "The gender can help you decide."

A wrinkled hand extended from her and she proceeded to pat my giant belly like it was a cat.

Knowing me and my low patience, Rowle pulled me back a step from the woman. "She's a little over five months," he explained to the muggle with a charm, just so she wouldn't get offended that I looked ready to attack her. "We just decided to keep the gender a surprise."

The woman squealed. "That's exciting!"

I scoffed at her. "It's a bet," I informed. "If it's a boy he has to kneel down before me and loudly proclaim that Gryffindor is better than Slytherin. And if it's a girl, I've got to dye my hair green and get the Slytherin crest tattooed on my back."

Lisa said nothing, just looked more confused and less thrilled.

"It _will _be a girl," interjected Rowle, cutting through any possible questions the muggle would ask for my slip of things she wasn't supposed to know.

"It won't."

"My entire family has always given girls as their firstborns." Here we go. A story about his pureblood, Death Eater history. Gross. "For ten centuries the Rowles have produced—"

"Yeah, well, in my dad's side of the family males have always been the firstborns. And we both know that the Weasley gene is a mighty one. The likelihood is that the kid will be a boy and a redhead."

Rowle scowled. "Our baby will not be a redhead."

I snorted.

"Best of wishes to both of you," Lisa the sales-lady interrupted. She suddenly looked out of place and eager to leave. "I'm sure that regardless of gender, your child will be a beauty."

"From my side of the family of course," Derrick commented with a smirk.

Again, I snorted. "Yeah, right. I forget that you have veela blood in you and not me."

For a moment, the woman looked like she wasn't ready to leave just yet. She chortled at us, grinning like we were a real class act. "Oh, I love your silly banter," she commented with her high voice. "Newlyweds always put a smile on my face."

Rowle grunted. "No, I don't think so." He started laughing now, like he was appalled by the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "We're _not _married."

My eyes went up to his face as he pulled his fingers away from mine and took a step away from me.

"Soon to be, I assume?" Lisa the sales-lady reached for my impregnated stomach again, patting it once more. "Marriage is the next step. It should've been the first, darlings, but things happen."

My brow creased.

The redheaded woman looked down at her watch as she withdrew her hand from my belly. "Well, I best be off. I'm afraid I'm off the clock." She smiled grandly at us. "I'll send Andy right over. He's a recent newlywed himself and I'm sure he'll be eager to give you—"

"We're not getting married," Derrick interjected.

The woman's smile became a little strained. "Well, goodluck with your purchase today, then."

And as she turned on her heels, I did too.

"Weasley!" Derrick was fast behind me. "Where are you going? The bloke's about to—"

"Fuck off," I snapped through a knot in my throat. "You wait for him so he can teach you how to treat a girl."

He grabbed one of my arms, turning me around. The sod actually looked thoroughly confused. "What are you on about? What did I do?"

I tried pulling my arm out of his hold but all he did was hold on tighter. "You don't want to marry me," I said accusingly. "What the hell are your intentions, then?"

He swallowed roughly, keeping his mouth tightly shut. His dark eyes looked to be in the middle of a war, fighting emotions, fighting thoughts. He narrowed his gaze for a moment, and then pulled me into a lonely aisle of the department store. "Come off it, Weasley," he began, "you really can't be mad. We're young. We know nothing about life and...and...Well, just because we're having a kid together doesn't mean..._Fuck_."

The more he talked, the more he looked at me, the more troubled he appeared. Whatever war was going on in his head, it was not going to leave a pretty outcome. That war was attacking me now. My eyes began to burn. "Doesn't mean what?"

Derrick released his grip from around my arm. He now used his hand to run it through his black hair, pulling on the strands with frustration. He gazed at me for a quick second, then he dropped it cowardly to the tiles beneath our feet. "...It doesn't mean it...It doesn't mean we'll last forever, Dom."

Well, I'll be damned. This is what heartbreak felt like?

My body began shaking, from my toes to my hands. "If that's the way you see it...I guess we'll end it now."

He didn't look up at me. He didn't even move when I said what I said. He just let me say it; he just let me pull out my wand and let me leave with a resounding _crack_.

Crash. Crash.

"For Merlin's saggy balls—"

Plates fell into the metallic sink that Teddy was washing as I apparated into Shell Cottage's kitchen. He was startled, turning around in a flash and whipping out his wand like he was in his fieldwork.

Once his grey eyes met mine, he rolled them at the lack of threat. "Brilliant, Dom," he huffed.

I didn't respond in my usually witty manner. I just took a shaky step forward, finding all the strength in my body to continue moving my feet so they could take me to the small table.

"We've just finished dinner and your mum made me do the dishes; claiming that I can't do them right. Which, let me tell you, is rubbish. Ginny has been making me do them since I was eight and every dish was left squeaky-clean." He pointed his withdrawn wand to the sink, casting a spell to repair the damage. "And here you come, like the brute that you are, and making me break them all."

I had made it to the table, but my legs were shaking too much I had to clutch onto the chair. My hands were still shaking, my chest aching, and my eyes burning more than ever. I wasn't so sure, but I could bet that an earthquake had rattled up all my world and crashed it down all around me.

There was nothing but dust—I had nothing but dust now.

"What's wrong with you?"

I blinked up at him. My mouth opened, and we were both surprised that the loudest sob in history escaped past my lips.

Crap.

Next thing I knew—the only thing I registered from then on—was my brother-in-law clutching me tightly, pressing me into his chest, and the screams radiating out of me as everything I had disappeared like it'd meant nothing.


	18. All Hands and Goodbyes

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 18: **All Hands and Goodbyes**  
**

**POV: **Liam

_In remembrance to one of this decade's worst tragedies, the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic has decided to continue to honor the lost lives by..._

Why do I read this?

_The released statement can be traced back to the previous Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, who's since resigned from his position and left Spinard Emilio De la Cruz as his successor..._

Does it do me any good? Of course not. But I can't help it. It's like picking at a scab.

_As Head of the department, Mister Potter released a statement of his own shortly after assuring the people of our British society that we were under no threat. Auror Potter and his second in command, Mister Ronald B. Weasley, went on to praise the evolution the department had made under their watch. With this, the people we're eased that two of the greatest war heroes were going to protect them and their children. A month after, the people of the Wizarding World were greatly mistaken..._

I know it's going to hurt, I know it's going to reopen, but I can't help it. The scab has to be scratched. How can it not?

_This fatality took many lives over these artifacts laced with dark magic, magic capable of destroying our Ministry and reeking havoc once more throughout our peaceful nation..._

It's personal. It's my heart, my blood—my everything. I'm willing to hurt again for it.

_Adding to the list of our dead from these attacks on members of ancient pureblood families are: Terry Boot, former Ministry Official; Maria Flint, matriarch of the Flint family; Marcus Flint, CEO of Flint Fractions; Alec Greengrass, founder of Greengrass and Harper Firm..._

I'm willing to hurt for him, for my father. I'm willing to open the rubbish newspaper that the Daily Prophet is just to reassure myself that I'm still not having a long dream. How could I be? If the date printed on the cover of the newspaper was anything to go by, I knew that it was impossible to sleep for an entire year.

Sometimes, when I remember that he's gone, I really wish I wouldn't wake up. He only comes to me in dreams and dreams are the only place it doesn't hurt to see his face. Pictures don't give his loving essence justice.

"—Lovely day, isn't it?"

Winter was not even close to finishing, but the wind that was blowing through the trees and the grounds of Hogwarts was very calm. It was strange, considering the massive storms that had been going on for the past few days, but somehow it felt right. And even the light _thud _that came from my left side seemed right; bare legs crossing themselves in that place.

I stared for a moment, the way those crossed legs sunk the blades of grass, and then I blinked away to the mountains over the horizon. They were beautiful, true and worthy of being a part of the Hogwarts landscape.

"Yeah, quite lovely," I mumbled in agreement. Somehow, it wasn't though.

"Are you okay, Liam?"

I turned as a wave of wind wrapped around us, making the black hair of the girl sitting beside me flying around her with freedom. It sent the smell of mangos in the air. "I'm brilliant," I told her.

The girl giggled to herself for a moment, attempting to push her swaying her back to her sides and out of the open space between us. "You were sulking during Herbology," she turned to me now, "and I was curious. Well, curious and worried. You're not one to sulk."

I gave her a crooked smile. "Are you sure you're worried about me or just here to hex me? I did let that Mandrake out of the pot too early. You almost fainted."

"_I_ almost fainted?" With another round of giggles, Gracen Goyle extended a white finger and drilled it into my kneecap. "You're the one that got all wobbly in the legs that you made Professor Longbottom think I cursed you with the Jelly-Legs Jinx."

"I was not wobbly—"

"Harper had to practically carry you outside the greenhouse for a moment to regain your strength," she completed, smirking at me with a gleam.

Folding the newspaper into a square, I put it underneath my extended legs and turned back to the witch. "I don't know what you're on about, Gracen. Nia simply carried me out because she does that sometimes. I'm like a king to her."

Gracen Goyle started laughing loudly, scoffing at the end of it, too. "You've been hanging out with the Weasley/Potter clan too much." She copied my actions and leaned back on the grass against her palms, her fingers almost touching mine. "And you know if Harper heard you say that she'd kill you."

"Kill me good, too," I chuckled, nodding my head.

The smirk that was pulling her pink lips dimmed. "So," she breathed, "are you going to tell this nosy Ravenclaw what has you in such turmoil?"

I looked away from her and towards the mountains.

"Greengrass..."

"It's nothing."

She huffed. "Do I need to beg to get it out of you?"

I didn't say anything and I heard her movements anyway. She was right in front of me, obscuring my vision of what laid outside the grounds of Hogwarts. She knelt before me, grabbing onto my ankles.

"Please, please, _please _tell me what's wrong with you, Greengrass."

I frowned, reaching over and pulling her up by her arms and into a sitting position and off her knees. "Stop, Goyle."

My hands were retracting from her, but she was fast to hold onto them. She gave them a squeeze, her bright eyes looking sincerely worried into my dark ones. "I read the newspaper today."

"That article Mrs. Potter wrote on the last Chudley Cannon game? I read it too. They're a downright embarrassment to the Quidditch league. I don't know how they still get funding—well, maybe from Mister Weasley. He's determined to have the Cannons win at least one game in his lifetime."

There was still a soft smile on her face but her eyes were still sad. My hand received another gentle tug from hers. "Look, Liam, I know that we're merely frequent acquaintances, but if you ever need anything...I'm here for you."

I looked down at our clasped hands.

"You've done such a beautiful job at moving on from your grief," whispered Gracen, her eyes still boring into my face despite that I stopped looking at hers. "And I'm aware it's been a year since your father's passing, but don't shut down. Don't do that yourself. You're still surrounded by people that care and love you. That matters, your life."

With one hard yank, my hands were free from her hold.

She sighed. "In a year, two years, three years...he'll still be dead, Liam. Time doesn't matter anymore. And I'm positive your father wouldn't want you to be miserable at his memory. Laugh and love like he was still alive."

I watched her as she stood up, dusting the blades of grass off her skirt. Her green eyes scanned my brown ones for a second, looking thoroughly sad. And as she bent to pick up her schoolbag, it was my turn to reach for her hand.

She looked down at my hold for a moment before blinking back at me.

"We're not acquaintances, Gracen; we're more than that," I said to her. "We're friends."

A dazzling smile lit up all of Grace Goyle's pretty face. Her rosy cheeks went a shade of pink darker, green eyes alight with glimmer, and her hand burst out with electricity to shock mine with warmth.

"—Liam?"

Dropping her hand from mine, losing all that spark that had taken over her a second ago, Gracen and I both looked at the redhead that had just appeared beside us. Lily's brown eyes inspected us, her expression serious and unnerving as she focused her attention on the Ravenclaw witch.

"Better be heading to dinner now," Gracen mumbled, clearing her throat lightly as she threw the step over her schoolbag onto her shoulder. "I'll see you two lovebirds later."

Lily raised a fiery brow, her narrow gaze following after the older girl's trail as she headed away from us.

Not really sure why her aura was exploding with hostility, I reached from her dangling hand at her side and tugged at it. "What is it?" I asked as I pulled her down beside me.

"She's shifty, that one," was her response as she adjusted herself next to me. "I've seen her looking at you from across the Great Hall sometimes. I've never paid it much mind, seeing as you two aren't friends, but now..."

My brows knitted together in confusion. But if I was going to comment on that, it was halted when one of Lily's hands pushed against my chest; making me lay completely against the grass. She inched her way closer to me, resting her head on my chest and throwing an arm over my stomach.

I smiled down at her, my fingers weaving automatically into her red hair. Everything bad that there was in the world, anything that could be plaguing me with poison was immediately disregarded as nothing when she was around. Lily was my everything good; the cure to anything.

"You've been hiding from me," she murmured.

I swallowed a knot. "I wanted to be alone."

"I don't want you to be alone." She raised herself up from my chest, her eyes staring deeply into mine. "I want to be there for you, Liam. When you're hurting...I want you to know that you're not alone."

My free hand went to rest at the side of her cheek. "I appreciate that."

"And I love you," she was still whispering like we were in a room full of people, like it was a secret she didn't want anyone but me to know. "I love you, I love you, I love you. Don't seclude yourself when you're hurting. I'm here to make you feel better."

"You are, are you?"

A wicked gleam took up her brown eyes before she swooped down and pressed her lips against mine. It didn't take a fraction of time for our mouths to start moving in that perfect rhythm, in that familiar and loving manner. And when her hand gripped my hair, when my tongue snuck its way inside her mouth, it didn't take a single dubious second for Lily to press her body flush against mine.

The groan that passed my mouth, swallowed by hers, was seriously embarrassing but necessary. The pressure and pain that was surrounding my entire body was intense, and it attempted to feed the rush my blood was giving as it traveled thicker and thicker as Lily's lips continued to move on mine.

Her heart was erratic and her breathing was shaky, I could feel it as I sunk my teeth as gently as I could on the skin from her neck. She copied my action at once. We both were quivering from the thriving emotions inside of us, and the more she pressed her lower regions into mine, the more we shook.

One of her hands sneakily made their way to the button of my trousers. She popped the button open and pulled my tucked shirt out of its place. And once she'd done so, her hand was even more shaky over the skin of my lower abdomen.

Snaking my hands from her waist, I slithered them up her shirt and grabbing a hold of her waist. Her skin was soft and warm, but I didn't stay there long enough. My fingers trailed upwards, passing her ribs and then—Lily moaned against my neck with triumph. It was like she'd been waiting for me to grab a hold of her forever. And maybe she had been. I'd never attempted to put my hands up her shirt before.

With the new barrier that I had crossed, Lily decided that it was time she crossed over one of her own. She moved her hand from my stomach and unzipped the front of my trousers. I gulped and shuddered. She took that as a sign from above to inch her fingertips to the waistband of my boxers.

And just before her hand could make it to its destination, I withdrew my hands from inside her shirt and shoved her off of me with great force.

She landed a few inches away from me, by my feet, and she looked up at me slightly horrified. Her red hair was knotted, tousled, and covering the marks I'd left on her neck. Her horrified expression didn't last, though. It was replaced with fury.

"_What the bloody hell was that for_?!"

I shook my head, my body still trembling. "We needed to stop," I muttered, reaching down and zipping my trousers once again. (How'd I get so distracted?) "Let's just go to dinner, okay?"

"To hell with dinner!" She didn't stand from the grass. She sunk her nails into the ground, contracting her fingers as she glared at me with all her might. "You pushed me off, Liam! You threw me from you! How do you think that makes me feel? Am I not good at what I do? _What is it?! _Why do you insist on pushing me away when I want more than just to hold your hand or a peck from you?!"

I cringed at her hissing. "It's not you, Lily," I responded in defense. "Blimey, how can you think that I don't want to...Of course I want to! I'd be stupid and blind if I didn't, look at you! You just don't get it." Merlin, really. How could she even think that? I'm a bloke, for Godric's sake. I want to _all _the bloody time. But my needs are not a priority over her. And my priority as her boyfriend is to respect her. Respect all of her—even when I want nothing more than to ravish her completely. But she's young. Who am I to take advantage of that?

She recoiled her fingers from the grass, pulling out a patch from its roots, and she flung it at me in her anger. "_You_ don't get it! I want you to touch me, Liam! I want you to stop treating me like I'm five and not sure of what's going on! I bloody well know what I'm doing!"

"No, you don't know what you're doing!" I snapped back. "If you had any sense you'd see that—"

"Oh, grow a pair, Liam!" She interjected. "Be a man and just take me when I—"

"Grow up, Lily!" My frustration reached surprising levels. I never lost my cool. I was always composed and soft-spoken. I didn't get angry and shout. I was the sensible bloke from the group, that one that was always collected. What happened?

She stood from the ground quickly, brown eyes unmoving as she threw them like daggers at me. "I'm tired of listening to your excuses," her hissing venom was back. "I'm tired of you rejecting me time and time again because I'm the Potters' _little _sister."

"They have nothing to do—"

"They have everything to do with this!" She yelled. "You don't think that I hear the jokes? You don't think that I know what they say about me to you? Well, to hell with them and you! I'm done!"

I couldn't look and feel more horrified than in that moment. "Lily—" My hand went out to reach for hers but she slapped it away.

"I'm done with you."

"...You're breaking up with me?"

She seemed taller than she'd ever been in that second. "Goodbye, Liam."

And she walked away without a look back.

* * *

**AN: Oh, we all KNEW it was time for them to break up.**


	19. Tutoring Troubles

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 19: **Tutoring Troubles**  
**

**POV: **Scorpius

"This is nice, isn't it?" Glancing away from the surprisingly nice day that we were having, I looked at the girl laying next to me. She had been silent just as long as I'd been, focused and dazed in the puffy clouds and blue sky.

A small smile stretched a corner of her lips. "You mean the day or this?"

Against the etiquette code of Malfoys, I rolled from my place to land at the side of the girl's. I propped myself up on my elbows, grinning at her with the goofiest grin I could allow myself to muster. "Definitely this."

"You charmer, Scorpius Malfoy."

"You liar, Emily Taylor."

Laughing, the dark-haired witch pulled herself into a sitting position. She pulled her long, black locks down to her sides; fluffing them down and removing the blades of grass that had weaved themselves in. "I guess we don't spend much time together nowadays, huh?"

"Who's fault is that?" I removed a hand from underneath my chin. I extended out a finger and jabbed her on her collarbone. "Little Miss Taylor, completely enthralled with James Potter. Incapable to pull herself away from her monster of a boyfriend to spend some time with her neglected best friend."

"You're not neglected," she chided, pulling my finger away from her. She held onto my hand, however. "And...let's not talk about James."

"Why not? If you two are on the verge of breaking up that'd be bloody fantastic, Ems. I didn't want to say anything these months you've been dating Potter, but I completely disapprove. I think you can do much better."

She shook her head, laughing lightly at me as she pinched the skin over my knuckles. "Yeah, somehow I missed the you not wanting complain about James and I. As I recall, you've kept a rivalry with my boyfriend all these months. Why, may I ask?"

"He's a git, a total tosser, a loser, will end up working at his uncle's shop, no future whatsoever, not funny at all, he's keeping us apart, clearly needs to be brought down a couple of pegs, not good enough for you—"

"_I'm _not good enough for him, you mean." Emily stopped my very long list of all the things that are wrong with the eldest Potter. "James is amazing to me, Scor, and you know it. I'm the one that doesn't deserve to have a guy as fantastic as him."

I frowned. "So, I'm guessing there's no breakup?"

She sighed. Her green eyes looked away from my face and back up at the sky. "I keep messing up, Scor. I wouldn't be surprised if he...if he decides to breakup with me. I'm too much to deal with."

My hand squeezed hers. "You're brilliant."

"I'm not," she huffed indignantly. I was a little surprised at the sudden hostility within her, the look of her emerald eyes as they narrowed into slits when they gazed back at me. Her pretty face was not peaceful and kind as it always was—she looked completely frustrated. "That's the problem. You, him...You both see me as something that I'm not, Scorpius. _Why_? Why do you two insist on seeing me like a puppy in training? Like I can't do anything wrong? Oh, she peed on the carpet, it's okay! She'll get better—well, maybe I won't! Maybe I'm never going to get better!"

Woah. I stumbled upon something I really didn't want to come across. I don't do good with infuriated witches.

Sigh.

Not like I have a choice, right?

There were only four women in the planet that I'd drop the Malfoy indifference for: My mother, my grandmother, Rose, and Emily. The way I felt for them, my love for them, made me—hesitantly and unwillingly—suck it up and put on a of-course-I-_want_-to-listen-to-what-you-have-to-say mask.

"Where's this coming from?"

She stopped after I voiced my question. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, released it, and then opened her eyes again. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm just...It's just I've got a lot on my mind. James is upset with me and I don't know how to fix it."

I rested my head over her lap. "I know how you can fix it: breakup with him."

I felt the smack beside the head coming before she raised her hand to do it. "Be nice, Scor."

A scoff passed my lips.

"How's your mother, by the way? I know it was the year anniversary of your uncle's death last week. How'd she take it?"

"Dad said she went to visit his grave for a few hours on her own. I don't think we really acknowledged the fact that my Uncle Alec's death affected her just as much as it affected Liam. He was her older brother, the one that always took care of her. People think that my Aunt Daphne and her were inseparable, but..."

"But she's a bitch?"

I laughed against her kneecaps. "Well said."

"Your mom is going to be fine," assured the American as she ran her fingers through my hair. "She's got your Dad. After a while it hurts a little less."

I didn't comment. She said it with a tone that suggested that her statement was accurate, but I knew she was lying. How does one get over the death of a loved one? _She _couldn't stop suffering over the passing of her parents and it'd been years now. I loved her to pieces, but she shouldn't be commenting on the process of healing and moving on when she knew nothing of it.

A silence had fallen on us again. This time we were much closer than before, but it wasn't as easy as the first one had been. But even though I enjoyed every moment I got with her, I was grateful when our time became interrupted when a redheaded witch appeared beside us.

"Lazing about, are you?"

"We would never!" Picking up my head and squinting my eyes, I smirked tauntingly at my girlfriend. "You insult us, Weasley."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure I am. After all, it's not Emily that left Nia alone working on their partnered essay in the common room. She's completely barking right now, Nia is. She just doesn't understand the breakage of spells to create new ones or to alter them."

"—_Crap_!"

"—Oi!"

On her feet, hectically pulling on her disregarded robes and picking up her schoolbag and wand, Emily hadn't even realized that she kicked my head and my face bounced off the grassy ground after she abruptly stood up and I lost my resting place.

"That hurt, Ems!"

"See you guys later!"

Sitting up, rubbing my nose, I glared at the redheaded Gryffindor. "You did that on purpose."

My girlfriend leered. "I did not. Nia really is on the verge of strangling everybody because she can't finish the introduction of the essay. Emily's supposed to be doing that bit."

"She's a bit spaced out, isn't she?"

"Em or Nia?"

"Both, now that you mention it, actually. It's scary. Are they on their menstruals or something?"

Rose scowled at me. "Don't be a tosser," she huffed. "Anyway, I don't have a tutoring session today. Apparently Louis, James and Freddie thought that it'd be funny to hide the Slytherin Qudditch team's clothing after their training yesterday so now they're serving three nights with Filch in the forest."

"Like that ever works."

"Who cares," she said distractedly as she lowered herself onto the grass and sat on my lap. She straddled me and I grinned like a proper hormonal boy. "We've finally have a night to ourselves without duties. I'm thinking after dinner we can head to the Astronomy Tower and be alone until curfew."

Placing my hands on her waist, my grin turned into a dim smile. "That's sounds lovely—"

"It honestly does,"

"—but I can't."

Her own smile disappeared and her brows knitted. "What do you mean you can't? Don't tell me you have detention, too."

"I...I promised Mulciber I'd give her an extra study-session tonight. She's got an exam at the end of the week and she wants to be completely prepared for it."

In the way she pulled herself away from my lap, one could've said I hexed her off. Her beautiful face was hosting all her anger and dislike for the Ravenclaw witch. "Have her find another tutor, then!"

"Rose—"

"_No_, Scorpius! I don't get this sudden friendship with her! She's the devil, for goodness sake!"

"Rose, you don't—"

"Of course I know her!" She was red like her hair. And it was the strangest thing: I'd never seen her this ticked before. She was always composed and understanding. "She's a bitch, Scorpius! You refuse to believe it, but she was a total cow with all the other girls! She was Belinda Rookwood's best friend, that should be enough proof that she's horrid!"

Maybe she shouldn't have brought up the dead. Maybe if she would've stopped from screaming out Belinda's name I wouldn't have felt the bubbles of fury grow a few degrees hotter in the pit of my abdomen. "Stop it, Weasley."

"I will not." She had lowered her voice but it was still aggravated. "Mulciber is a cow, Scorpius. How can you even be friends with—"

"Because she _understands _me!" My patience flew right into the wind and it was swept along with the leaves.

At my sudden shout, her lips zipped tightly together. Her fury was blatantly obvious, but her brown eyes were now looking like I told her that her owl had been eaten by a dragon.

Taking in a deep inhale, I waited for a moment to settle my frustration. We've been doing this a lot lately—fighting. We've never fought before. Not even when we were friends. Despite the tension surrounding us when we were younger—the I-fancy-you-but-do-you-fancy-me rubbish—we've always managed to get along. We fit together perfectly, loved each other dearly, and got on brilliantly. But the recent weeks it had been an argument after an argument.

She hated Madison Mulciber and I just couldn't understand why. We were both aware that the Ravenclaw was unlike most others, that she was stuck at the hip with most Slytherins, but from there no one knew anything. If Rose ever had problems with her, if any of the other girls in the castle had problems with her, I never heard them.

I only heard the things that mostly everyone whispered about Mulciber. It was the same things they whispered about those with the last names of Rookwood, Goyle, Malfoy, Flint, Nott, Rowle and the like. All purebloods; all descendants of Death Eaters.

"Look, Rose," speaking again, treading carefully, trying to be sensible to my girlfriend's opinion, "Mulciber and I...We have a different friendship than the one I have with Al or Emily. She understands how it is to be whispered about, judged and not fully accepted. Just because you don't hear the things people in this castle say about me, doesn't mean _I _don't hear them. You Potter/Weasleys are a massive group, no one says anything when I'm around you lot, but when I'm by myself? I hear it."

She was trying to subdue her anger, but all she accomplished was to furrow her brow and clench her right hand into a fist. "Some people are just ignorant, Scorpius," she said through her teeth. "They don't know you the way I do. They don't know what's beautiful about you, what's amazing and good-hearted. And it's a shame because they won't get a chance to love what our friends and I love about you. But to associate yourself with someone as awful as Mulciber—well, you're just insulting yourself."

"You don't know her," I snapped. "You see what you see, Rose. You're being just as ignorant as those others that whisper about us! If you got to know her you'd see that she's actually—"

"I already know her!" We were going nowhere. "She's the one that knocked me off my broom in our first Flying lesson, all under Belinda Rookwood's command! She's the one that let a snake loose on Nia and I in Third Year! She's the one that gossiped about me and our friends for _years_, Scorpius. She's a conniving, two-faced—"

"I'm not dealing with this," I hissed. Standing up from my seat on the grass, I picked up my schoolbag and threw the strap over my shoulder.

She frowned, but her brown eyes looked a little skeptical. "Scorpius, just listen to me and understand—"

"I understand that you want to choose my friends," I cut her off. "So you two had petty rivalry; that was then, Rose. She's different now."

"Well of course she's different when _you're_ around! That didn't stop her from tossing my books to the floor two days ago in our Charms class!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow," I told her. "I made a commitment. And aren't you the one that's always on about holding our tutoring obligations in high regards?"

"Malfoy, don't—"

"Bye."

**X**

Piercing the dimly-lit, gloomy scene that the Potions dungeon gave, a round of giggles echoed off the walls and wrapped everything inside with a certain glimmer. It was strange, haunting in a sense, but it made the atmosphere what it currently was: light and relaxing.

"No, no," more giggles, "you can't add lacewing flies to a cauldron of Felix Felicis!"

I glanced down at the list of ingredients I had scribbled onto my parchment.

"And wormwood? Why on earth would you need wormwood? Where's your head, Malfoy?"

Another round of giggles echoed around the classroom as I furiously crossed off all the ingredients from my list. "This is embarrassing," I mumbled. "I'm the one supposed to be tutoring you."

Rolling her blue eyes at me, Madison Mulciber snorted as she snatched my parchment and my quill. "Yeah, well, you're tutoring me in History of Magic. I would _never _ask you to tutor me in Potions. You and I—and Professor Slughorn and everyone, really—know that you're absolutely rubbish at it. Bit odd, I'd say. Your father is one of the best potioneers Britain has ever seen."

"He's not a Potion-Maker," I huffed. "So Malfoy Industries has a department that supplies potions for research, so my father has conducted studies and invented a few potions—that doesn't make him a potioneer. In fact, he's currently doing investigations for the Aurors. He's not a potioneer."

Madison laughed, scrunching her nose a bit; making her freckles wrinkle along with her skin. "Draco Malfoy dabbles in everything, that's perfectly fine. But you have to admit that his invention of the—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I yanked my homework back from her, pulling a strand of her dirty-blonde hair for teasing. "Father's a gifted Potion-Maker and I can't even boil water at the right temperature. I'm much better in Charms and Arithmancy than he is, but no one bloody mentions that."

"Isn't your father working on a new Arithmancy textbook with Hermione Weasley?"

"That's a lie! Those two can't be in the same room without arguing. They can never work together without something transpiring—murder most likely." She chortled more and I turned to her, raising a brow. "Why do you know so much about us, Mulciber? Stalking me, are you?"

She scoffed mockingly, reaching over and pinching my arm. "I'm studying to be a Potion-Maker myself, Malfoy. Your family's company and the production your father has made is fascinating to me. And, it was in the history section of the last edition of my _Practical Potioneer_ subscription."

I clucked my tongue in a disapproving manner. "You live a sad life, Mulciber. I'm sorry that you don't know what fun is."

A smirk pulled the right corner of her mouth. "If you're so experienced, Malfoy, perhaps you'd like to show me what fun feels like."

A smile spread on my face. Her blue eyes glittered in a way that I never thought eyes could glitter. I was more aware of her persona. Her blondish hair was curled today, just right above her shoulders and one side was slicked back and held with criss-cross pins. Her eyelashes were somehow thicker, rimming her eyes and making them more noticeable. Her skin was still pale, but their was a certain glow; like she'd been under the sunlight. And then there was this smell...There was an aroma of mint and chocolate that was radiating off of her since we first encountered each other.

It filled the room—and it was invading my senses to the point that my mind sometimes went fuzzy.

_Bang._

"Filthy animals! That's exactly what you lot are—barbarians!"

The door to the Potion's chamber burst open and the disgraced, appalled, and infuriated voice of Professor Alan penetrated the walls of my study-room with no mercy. Louis, Freddie and Artie Weasley came shuffling after him.

"Oi, you can't talk to us that way! There's nothing in the student handbook that makes students stand this abuse! And this is what it is, Sir! It's abuse! I will call upon—"

"_Silence_!" Professor Alan hissed at Freddie. "You three are a disgrace to Gryffindor House! How dare you attack a group of students?! Second Years, no less! They're younger than you!"

Clearing his throat, Artie Weasley raised a hand in the air. "Technically, Professor, I'm a Second Year, too. We're the same age."

"We didn't do anything," spoke Louis, elbowing his little cousin roughly to shut him up. "We were honestly at the wrong place, at the wrong time. We're innocent in all this."

The professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was not letting up on his anger towards the two Gryffindors and one Hufflepuff. He was seething, his body vibrating with it; his ponytail was going to pop right off at that rate.

"As head of Gryffindor, Professor Longbottom will not be happy that you've managed to lose his House three-hundred points in five minutes!" He turned to the smallest Weasley. "And as the head of Hufflepuff, I guarantee that you're going to receive a worse punishment than the hundred points deducted, Mister Weasley!"

"See, we disagree on that," retorted Louis, always opening his mouth when the moment least required it. "Neville will be pretty delighted that we managed to shake off the bullies that have been pestering his son Frankie. Just a First Year, the poor lad, and already being hung from the Qudditch posts by his knickers every Thursday. I'm sure we'll earn back those points lost."

It was Artie's turn to elbow his cousin. "Professor," he spoke quickly, a little nervous now, "I honestly had nothing to do with it. It's a misunderstanding, I swear it!"

"You're a shame to Hufflepuff House!" Turning from the three, Professor Alan marched to the back of the classroom; all while yelling and damning all the Weasleys.

Freddie sighed, leaning against a desk casually. "We'll be fine, mates."

"Says you!" Hissed Artie. "I told you we were going to get caught, you idiots! I'm a Second Year and I'm going to get expelled! What the hell am I supposed to do? Work as a house-elf?"

Freddie snorted. "Aunt Hermione would never allow it, Artie. If anything, I'm sure Dad would give you a job in the shop."

"Oi, Malfoy!" Finally getting noticed by the intruders, Louis Weasley narrowed his eyes as soon as he spotted me in the background of his new problems.

"Malfoy! How wonderful to see you, lad," Freddie jeered when he now was informed that I was there.

I frowned at him. "What are you twats getting punished for now? And can you take it outside?"

"We bejeweled the manly-bits of—"

"And who's that alluring witch next to you?" With another rough hit, Louis silenced the Hufflepuff. "I didn't know you had friends aside from us."

My frown deepened. "We're not friends, Weasley," I informed him. "And this is Madison Mulciber."

Freddie bowed at the Ravenclaw witch, grinning widely at her. Artie gave her a half-hearted wave, not looking interested. And Louis—well, the blonde Weasel looked exactly like most others did when a surname like Madison's was said.

The witch beside me narrowed her eyes the same way the Gryffindor was.

"Rosie know you're playing friends with her?" Louis blinked and focused on me now. "You've got a good reputation now that you're dating my cousin, Malfoy. Are you sure you want to dampen that with the likes of her?"

Before the bubbles of anger started formulating inside of me again, Professor Alana appeared once more.

"Not one drop of Veritaserum!" He exclaimed, waving a clear vial in the air angrily. "Rickman assured me he had a cauldron full of it! All I found was bottles filled with Amortentia!"

Freddie laughed loudly. "Ah! So the rumours are true! He _is _trying to smuggle the Love Potion to Filch!"

"Another ten points, Mister Weasley, for your blasphemous mouth," snapped Alan. He marched to them, gripping Artie by the back of his robes and started heading out of the classroom.

"Don't get so upset, Sir. I'm sure Filch will choose you in the end!" The redhead shouted, a look of great smug on his freckled face as he darted after the two.

"I doubt it," Louis huffed after frowning at Madison and I, following after the others now. "Filch only has eyes for Mrs. Norris."

The door shut behind the blonde Weasley with the same loud noise it'd opened with.

Coughing lightly next to me, Mulciber began to gather her belongings and shove them into her schoolbag.

"Mulciber?"

"I think we're done now," she mumbled, her hair flying towards her sides and staying there; hiding her face.

My left brow shot up. "What? Why?"

She stood from our shared benched, gripping the strap of her schoolbag. "Thanks, Malfoy. I'll see you—"

"_Mulciber_." I reached for her left hand, making her twist in an angle so she could face me. Those glittering blue eyes were now intense; hurt and angry. "He's a git, Mulciber. Don't pay any mind to—"

"I'm invisible," she said to me in a barely-there voice. "I'm invisible most of the time, Malfoy, and that's perfectly fine. And when I'm not, I'm the relative of Death Eaters. I'm not to be trusted." She tugged her wrist out of my grasp. "It's easy for you, isn't it? You've got a Weasley as your girlfriend, a Potter as a best friend, and the acceptance of their families and others that were hurt in the war. Not everyone likes you, yes, but they hate you less than they hate me."

She took a deep breath.

"If Belinda was still alive..."

"Don't," I told her, reaching for her wrist again. "Don't bring up the dead, Mulciber."

"Why not? Everyone hated her, too. We were hated together—a Rookwood and a Mulciber. At least with her I had a friend."

I pulled her back down onto the bench. "We're friends now, aren't we? You're not alone."

Maybe she shouldn't have brought up the dead. Maybe she shouldn't have brought up the fact that we had another thing in common, that we were probably the only people in the castle that hurt over Belinda Rookwood's death last year. Maybe it was the way that we understood each other. Maybe it was the fact that her blue eyes were gleaming, gleaming, gleaming, and looking so sad. Maybe it was the fact that she leaned in and I couldn't breathe.

Maybe it was the smell of mint and chocolate coming off her robes, hair, skin, mouth, and tongue that made me lose my senses. _Literally_. My mind went blank, turning off, and my sight was filled with just blue.

We were kissing and a part of me was forced to shut up and deem it acceptable.

Something was not right, but we kept kissing.


	20. A Change in the Routine

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 20:** A Change in the Routine**  
**

**POV: **Al

Ever feel like everything around you is a millimeter away from pissing you off? Like your surroundings are suddenly too bright, too dark, too loud, too quiet; the people talk too much, don't talk enough, are boring, are too eccentric? It's almost as if you woke up one day and the world you're used to suddenly wasn't okay anymore.

Or maybe it was that I wasn't right anymore.

The routine was effortless and mundane. Just like everyone around me.

I learned from my older relatives that a life with a routine was safe and perfect. Well, that was okay for them, wasn't it? They had lived a life where their tomorrows hadn't been promised. They would've given anything to live their days quietly, surrounded by the same people they were accustomed to, and just make it.

That wasn't enough these days. Not for me, at least.

"You're quiet."

I looked away from the distance, from the sun hanging on to its life for another hour before it died in order to revive the next day. I found a pair of blue eyes like the morning, clear sky staring into my green with a blur of a barrier. Her eyes were hazy, protective; yet defenseless all in one.

A part of me knew I caused that mix.

"Just thinking," I responded to my girlfriend. A small smile titled a corner of my mouth. "Why are you quiet?"

Her plump, pink lips tightened into a line and she looked back towards the sky. Her hands were resting against the ledge of the Astronomy Tower, roughly clutching to the rail. "Thinking too," she murmured.

"Are you thinking about me?" I questioned, long forgetting about the scene before us as I focused on her beautiful, perfect face.

She swallowed, gaze still focused on not looking at me. The rough clutch on the rail loosened, but she pressed herself closer to it; titling in an angle like she wanted to take a good look below.

My hand automatically flew to her shoulder and squeezed. I pulled her back, keeping her safe and from falling over the edge. My brow rose up and I was certain I looked slightly appalled.

"You don't love me anymore, do you, Potter?" Finally glancing away, her hands tore away from the railing and her body turned to face me.

The appalled feeling turned defensive. "What are you on about? Of course I love you, Nia. I love you so much."

She swallowed again. Swallowed a ball of emotions that was hard for her to express, that she never let out, that wasn't a part of her being. She was the girl that remained neutral or very ticked. Emotions, weak emotions, didn't come easily to her like they would to most girls. They were shaking her up, scaring her. She didn't know how to react. She didn't know how to make her body settle and make her mind process what she was feeling. Her heart and head played different roles in her life, but it was always her head that conquered. Whatever her heart had to say, it remained mute until it somehow was broken down into phrases her head could understand.

That routine was now broken, however. Her hands shook with uncertainty, with fear, with weakness. The confidence that made her blue eyes gleam in a mighty fashion, that showed the world that she was a lethal force to reckon with, was gone. She wasn't my Nia Harper, a fiery being.

"Why don't I feel it anymore?" Her voice was low, barely audible, but it managed to echo through the lonely section of the Astronomy Tower we were in. Her gaze narrowed deep into mine. "If you don't, Al...If you don't love me, let me go now. Break up with me."

Panic pumped into my chest; restarting my heart with a kick. I tore myself away from my side and placed myself in front of her. Our gaze connected deeper as I grabbed her cold hands, squeezed, and erased some space between us.

"Never," I told her. "I will never let you go, Nia. I love you, alright? I love you more than anything in the world. I...I know I've been a complete tosser lately, but its nothing to do with you."

Her front teeth sunk to her bottom lip. She tried to pull her hands from mine but I didn't budge; she instead pushed her back deeper into the rail to get away from me. "I know that, Al," she sounded raspy, like she was containing a mountain slide of raw emotions. "I know it's you. You're the one who's changed...I don't change, Al. I don't. I love you exactly the same way I loved you from the first day. But...I can't do this. I can't handle your distance, your indifference...I can't handle this anymore."

"You can't handle the way you feel for me," I said quickly. "You can't handle your love for me because you've never felt what love truly is. What you're feeling—how much it hurts—_I_ felt for years for you, Nia. I hurt that much when you couldn't realize that you loved me. Don't give up on us if you've just begun to feel it."

A moment of silence passed between us.

"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was low again. "Why don't you let me go, Al?"

"Because I love you."

She didn't say anything. Honestly, she didn't have to. The glitter in her eyes said it all. She didn't believe me. There was once a time when I said those three words and she melted in my arms. There was a time that the blue in her eyes was out of this world; that twinkled like sapphires because she loved me and I loved her.

Merlin, I did love her. I swear it. She's everything.

But the routine...Loving her was part of the routine wasn't enough now.

"Do you want me to break up with you, Nia?"

Tears blurred her eyes but she never shed them. She waited until they soaked back in and gave her a better view of me. We stared right into each other; digging for our souls and our truths. There was so much vulnerability in her, so much that I could've never guessed, and I know she saw shadows in my soul. There was a darkness in me that she never would've seen.

I was filled with uncertainty of who I was or what I wanted.

"Do you love me, Al?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to let me go?"

"No."

She had to swallow another knot of emotions. "I don't like who I am when loving you is painful."

One of my hands dropped hers and it went straight to the side of her face. I held on lightly, bringing her a little closer to me; so I could get a better look into her eyes and to feel the warmth of her body that'd been distant before. It was a warmth that I've missed recently. It was something that I've been pushing away.

"Love sometimes hurt, Nia. That doesn't mean its not true."

She closed the small gap between us. Her lips pressing into mine felt different. It was a kiss laced with fear. And it ended quickly.

"Love only hurts when it's unrequited or when it's about to end."

**X**

Toxic smoke filled my lungs and I closed my mouth to keep from coughing. The smoke burned my throat, but it stayed where it needed to until it exited in cloudy streams from my nostrils. I looked up to the ceiling, watching those streams disappear there.

When did I start smoking?

It was when I found three Sixth Year Hufflepuffs outside the greenhouses with those thin sticks that I saw muggles inhale on when we were in their world. Gran called them the devil sticks, and she said if she ever caught any of us with it she'd show us what she did to Grandad Arthur when he first tried them.

One of the Hufflepuffs, a bloke by the name of Jager Smith, handed me one as if he knew that I'd take it. I did. But it'd also been like he knew that amount of stress smoking the cigarette would release. After five minutes and the echo of the bell signaling for our next lesson, Smith handed me a pack and they've been in my possession ever since.

Who knew what they did, but, Merlin, did they help.

"This is fucking ridiculous." Huffing from his four-poster, Scorpius fanned the smoke in our dormitory with the wave of his cloak. He frowned at me like a strict parent, but said nothing as he shook his head and kicked off his shoes. "The world's going mad."

I brought the cigarette to my lips again. "Why's that?" I asked before I dragged a puff from it.

"Liam and Lily _broke up_," he snapped. I raised my brow at him, but he didn't notice my questioning as he unbuttoned his white shirt and stripped it off. He was usually the clean one from us, but tonight he just tossed his uniform on the floor carelessly. "How the fuck did that happen? They were the only ones that made sense!"

I tapped the ashes from my cigarette to the floor and still looked confused. "Why do you sound like an appalled fangirl? These things happen, mate."

He finally looked at me as he unzipped his trousers and kicked them under his bed. He grabbed his black pajama bottoms before he started speaking. "No! No, they don't. People who are _supposed _to be together stay together! Things don't change between us, they stay the same! Breakups don't happen!"

"You sound like Nia," I mumbled.

He didn't hear me. "Your sister was always so bloody obsessed with Liam and Salazar knows the idiot loves her more than himself. How does this rubbish happen?"

I shrugged. "Do you think your cousin has it in him to move on? He's like the sweetest bloke ever, you know. He doesn't quite scream strength and willpower."

Scorpius copied my previous action before he untucked the sheets from their neat place so he could climb into his bed. "Who the bloody hell knows," he sighed. "Mind you, they did break up a week ago and neither of them had mentioned it before. Liam seemed his regular self since then. Maybe he'll be fine."

"Let's hope so. Not like we can deny that Lily had him wrapped around her finger."

Malfoy grimaced. "Yeah, that was embarrassing. He lost his manly-bits to her—"

"I'm still in the room!"

A textbook was thrown from the opposite side of the dormitory. It startled Malfoy and I; making me drop the cigarette on my exposed chest and burn me. I hissed from the sting.

"Will you two _fucking tossers _at least wait until I'm gone before you talk about my failed relationship?!"

Coughing away the laughter that was not required at this moment, I let Malfoy take the lead of this conversation. I, instead, took another inhale from my cigarette and then squashed the lit end on the nightstand next to my four-poster.

"Sorry, mate," said Malfoy as he sat up from his bed and looked at his cousin with a bit of remorse. "We're still in shock, that's all. We didn't expect to find that bit out as a side dish during dinner."

The brown-haired wizard frowned as he kicked off the emerald sheets from around him. "Yeah, well, that makes three of us. I didn't think Lily was going to announce it to the world when Louis made the stupid move of asking why we weren't sitting together."

Yeah, that was a piss-poor move from both my cousin and sister. She could've shrugged it off and none of Gryffindor House would've known about their breakup. Or the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Slytherins, Staff, and ghosts. It was quite embarrassing, really.

"How'd you two even breakup?"

Greengrass jumped up from the bed we offered him to hide in after dinner. "I'll see you two later."

"Liam," called Malfoy, "don't—Don't go, idiot! If any Slytherin catches..." He trailed off. His cousin slammed the door of our dormitory and disappeared. His chance of survival was left to the fact if the common room was empty or a Slytherin found it in himself not to torture the poor bastard.

The blonde Slytherin sighed dramatically, throwing his head back against his headboard. He closed his eyes, mumbled something to himself, and his left palm balled into a fist. If the bottle of Firewhiskey we nicked from an older Slytherin was still underneath his bed I was positive he would've taken a giant gulp from it. That is, if I hadn't drank what was left of it by myself three nights ago.

"Something on your mind, mate?" Well, I felt slightly guilty. It was our shared emergency liquor. There was a pact to never finish the supply and leave the other without any. Mind as well talk this out than telling him the Firewhiskey was gone because I'm a selfish bastard with deep-rooted issues all of a sudden.

"Everything's off," he said through clenched teeth. "Things like this don't happen to us, but they're happening anyway. Why? What the hell is the purpose of...Why did Liam and Lily breakup?!"

Whoa. Okay. This was...What?

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Seriously. "People breakup all the time. We're teenagers. And, come off it, Lily just turned fifteen. Her hormones are all over the place; she doesn't know what she wants. Of course it's sad that they split, but shit happens."

"No, it doesn't," he snapped. "Not to us. Things don't change...Everyone is just on the bloody verge of ending their relationships. Liam's is gone, Emily thinks your stupid brother might end it with her, Louis and McLaggen broke up today during breakfast, you and Harper are definitely going to breakup, and Scamander and Longbottom—"

"Piss off! Nia and I are not going to breakup!" What was with people thinking that? We are fine. "As for Louis and McLaggen, those two breakup all the bloody time! They got back together by midday. Who the hell cares about Scamander and Alice; too bad about Liam; and James would never end it with Emily."

He rolled his eyes. "You and Harper _should _breakup," he said.

I glared. "Why would we do that?"

"You know why." He gave me a pointed look and I wanted to hex him. He didn't know anything. "You're playing her, Potter."

My jaw squared with tension. "Go to hell, Malfoy. I love—"

"I kissed Madison Mulciber yesterday."

Well..._huh_?

One.

Two.

Three.

"Look, mate, I knew what was going on but...but I couldn't stop it. It was a regular day, I was just helping her study, and she smelled like mint and chocolates, and you know I like mint chocolate. I dunno. It was just...and then she leaned in and I couldn't pull away, but I wanted to. I swear I did!"

I knitted my brows as I watched him inhale, exhale, inhale desperately. "Malfoy, I know you love Rose."

He nodded furiously. "I do, Potter. I really do. I swear that I never would intentionally kiss Mulciber, but...What the hell am I supposed to do? Rose hates her! If I tell her...I don't even know what happened! Mulciber just smelled so heavenly, and her eyes were so...I just know that I would never hurt Rose like that."

For Merlin's fucking sakes, Malfoy was a complete idiot. An idiot in potions, to be exact. No wonder he could not pinpoint what actually happened.

"Malfoy, you were clearly under the—"

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

The door to our dormitory opened and a witch with deep brown eyes and hair black as night stuck her head in. "Good. You're awake."

The blonde Slytherin frowned, either for the interruption or for whom it was. "Lost your way, De la Cruz?"

Ophelia smiled with a shadow of mischief as she gave Scorpius a good look over. She opened the door further, enough to slither her body through the gap, and claimed dominance by her stand. She crossed her arms and begged for a challenge.

"This isn't the girls' dormitory, you know."

"_Se un buen chico_, Malfoy, and run along," the Slytherin witch replied in a calm yet condescending manner.

My friend didn't move. "Fuck off."

"So lovely."

I cleared my throat at the dangerous exchange between the two. "Malfoy, mate, can you give us a minute? Ophelia is just here for some notes."

He rose up from his four-poster but didn't take his eyes off of me. He was my best friend, he knew me. There weren't any notes. "Should I keep Zabini from coming in too?"

"That'd be great. Thank you," Ophelia antagonized my friend.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and headed to the door of the dormitory. And just as he turned down the handle to exit out, he turned to me and said, "make it two breakups among us, not one."

He mind as well have punched me on the face. I was sidetracked for a moment, Nia's blue eyes flashing through my thoughts, that I didn't get a chance to move or blink before I felt my mattress sink in and legs trap me to it.

"Happy to see me?" Ophelia asked as she pressed down harder into me. Her brown eyes were bottomless, mysterious, and fucking bewitching. She threw everything off balance. I couldn't help to shut away everything from the outside to enjoy the jolts of fear and excitement racing down my spine.

My hands automatically went to her waist. "I'm always happy to see you."

She smirked for a moment before her mouth touched mine. It wasn't foreign; nothing that happened more than once was ever considered strange. And in this case, it'd been six times that our lips moved together since we first spoke and I blew off Quidditch tryouts for her.

That's when the routine had become unimportant.

Her hands were eager as they roamed around my body. My usual sleepwear was her friend tonight, alike many nights. Less clothing to tug on. My chest was bare and her fingernails were already lightly scratching their way down, leaving marks that would fade away by morning. Erasing any evidence that she'd been on me, touching me, and making me feel like I was someone new.

There was always so much force in the way that she moved. She was needy—desperate and passionate. She was like no one I'd ever encountered. She was a rioter caught inside a body with plain eyes. She was contained fire, dangerous and still burning to the highest degree. And she saw that same thing in me. She was always desperate to release the darkness within me.

And I wanted her to. But it came wit a price, didn't it?


	21. Sinking

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 21:** Sinking

**POV: **Emily

I was doing it again.

"You're doing it again."

I knew that I was, I just couldn't help myself.

"Do you do it on purpose? Some people say you do. I think you just can't help it. Your mind...Well, it's programmed that way, isn't it?"

My mind's not set on right. That's the thing.

"Then again, I can't really comment, can I? I'm the mental one."

People label you crazy because you have eccentric views, because your freedom is more vibrant than others, because the words that come out of your mouth are the things that they consider improbable or too inadequate to say in public. They're wrong, aren't they? That's not being crazy, that's just being whimsical or an individual rather than a piece of a giant plot of narrow-mindedness.

Crazy is having no control on your emotions, no control on your thoughts, no control on your behavior. Crazy is letting memories eat away your present. Crazy is allowing it. Crazy is a voice in your head that shouldn't be there. A voice that is no one else's but your own; one that says the things that you know _are _the honest truth, and that doesn't let you forget the rotten blood in your veins that's contaminated a great part of you.

Crazy is _me_.

"I've heard that you're doing much better now—"

It's a lie.

"—but I can see right through you."

That makes one.

"Don't you think it's weird, Taylor? We're hardly the best of friends, yet I can see you withering away as the days progress. I find it tragically beautiful."

It's not beautiful nor tragic, it's fated.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Things just slip out of my mouth sometimes. No wonder I have half of the school completely annoyed with me."

People do hate honesty.

"Not you, though. You always listen, regardless if you feel like I've crossed a line or what I'm saying is completely bonkers. You just listen. You're a tomb, Taylor."

A tomb...

"Look, I know that you probably wanted to be alone, hence why you're hiding underneath this tree when you should be in Astronomy class, but I really would like to talk to you about something. I know it's not my place, and Potter would murder me if he ever knew that I was bringing it up, but you're the only person I know that...I broke up with Alice."

"You broke up with Alice?" For the first time in what seemed like a moment but was definitely more than thirty minutes, I turned to Lysander Scamander and raised an eyebrow at him. "When? _Why_?"

"Before Sixth Year started, actually," he said casually, but there's was a glint of deep sadness and regret in his blue eyes.

My questioning did not wear off. There's no way Lysander and Longbottom broke up during the holidays. I've seen them together around the castle—haven't I? Have I even talked to Lysander at all this semester?

"Is that why Rose said she's seen you down in the gutter?" That's all I remember of Lysander all year. A passing observation Rose mentioned one night when we studied for our Charms exam. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Maybe that's how long he's been grieving his broken heart.

Lovely. He's so much better at hiding his emotions than me. Or, have I just been too caught up with my own cruel thoughts to notice the outside world?

"I thought it was appropriate at the time," continued the blonde Gryffindor. "There was so much going on at the moment...so much out of my control. I just wanted to be left alone. But Alice knows me like the back of her hand and she just didn't want to let go, she wanted to fix me without knowing the source of the problem, and I...I just couldn't tell her."

That sounds oddly familiar.

"Why would you _want _to leave her? You two are perfect for each other, Lysander. She could've helped. She could've made everything better."

Someone who loves you can't always fix you, though. I knew that.

"She couldn't fix what I already shattered." Taking a deep breath, Lysander Scamander lost all traces of that eccentric boy that was constantly on about unimaginable creatures, that always sported a smile, that had witty remarks to shoot, that was filled with knowledge that literally made him glow. In his place sat a boy with sadness etched in every line of his face; that was suddenly shooting out flames of misery that made a knot grow in my throat. It was brutal. It hurt.

Is that what I looked like? Is that how I felt to other people?

"All last year I begged Mum to let me go exploring the Amazonas when she told me she discovered the source of the Aquavirius Maggot's existence there. She was happy to oblige me, but when we were still in school and she was still researching the Amazonas for her work, there was a civil battle going on with the centaurs and she had to abandon the research for the potential danger. That was last April.

"By July I thought it was perfectly safe to go. Dean protested against it, he didn't want Mum and I to get hurt, especially since there was no way of knowing if the fight between the centaurs had ceased. I kept asking and asking until Mum agreed. Dean wasn't happy, but I didn't care about his warnings because the the thrill of adventure was much more important.

"We were ambushed the fourth day in," he paused for a moment, taking another deep breath and looking up at the sky. "It was a gruesome fight. The centaurs thought we were part of the Brazilian tribes that wanted to boot them off their land. There was no reasoning with the centaurs and...Mum got hurt. There was so much blood...And it wasn't until we were in a hospital that we were told she was pregnant...She _was pregnant_—before I dragged her to the Amazonas."

Horrified. Absolutely horrified is how I was certain I looked.

"Mum said it wasn't my fault, Lorcan nor I knew about the pregnancy. They were going to surprise us..." He clenched his jaw as he paused for another second. He spoke again with a thick voice, "Every time I looked at Mum or Dean I just felt like a monster. They were going to have their first kid together, Dean's first child, and I..."

He broke into tears and I felt like joining him. I tried to tame my horrified expression, but it only mixed with sympathy and utter grief. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how I could make his tears stop, so all I could do was put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze.

"I know that one day I'll get over my guilt, that one day I can forgive myself for what I did...But how will I ever know if my mother will be okay? How will I know that she's done grieving for the child she lost? How will I know that..." He stopped and he blinked; his blue eyes pierced right into my green ones and I was paralyzed. My heart started pounding in fear. "How did you get rid of your grief after losing your child, Emily?"

My hand slipped from his shoulder and I held my breath.

Traces— memories—of the hex that shot and electrocuted my body and killed the fetus inside of me licked my skins and shook my bones. The memory was vibrant. I remember the hate, I remember _his _face, and I remember the darkness that came. I remember waking up in the hospital and being told that I'd miscarried.

I remember the joy I felt.

I remember that there was no grieving, there was just sadness to feel absolutely nothing at all for the life that got extinguished before it could even bud.

I'm a monster.

"Your mother is going to be fine," my mouth moved and spewed words, my face pulling on an expression of complete understanding and reassurance. Maybe I was good. Maybe I was excellent at hiding just how messed up I was. "Luna's a strong woman, Lysander. And, yes, she might be saddened over it for a while, but she'll learn to move on. If it's meant to be, she and your stepfather will have a kid together."

"You think so?"

I nodded. "Now, go and find Alice, Lysander. Do anything you can to get her back. There's no reason why you have to punish yourself over what happened. Accidents and misfortunes are part of life, and you can't control those. Forgive yourself and get your girlfriend back."

With the shadow of his always-charming smile, Lysander Scamander embraced me tightly. I didn't want to hug him back, and I was excused when my arms were pinned and he squeezed with all his might. "Thank you, Emily," he said with a sigh of relief as he pulled away. "I've been wanting to talk to you about this for ages but I didn't want to make it uncomfortable. You're stronger than you let on, you know."

I handed him his disregarded schoolbag. "Forget Astronomy class, go find Alice. A giant romantic gesture at this time will surely make her putty in your hands."

"I'll walk you to Gryffindor Tower first," he said as he stood from the hill. "It's dangerous this time at night."

Don't I know it. I was mauled and raped by a werewolf at this time of night last year.

A winning smile appeared on my face. "Oh, you go on. I'm waiting for James, anyway. I'll be fine."

It was so easily bought. It was all it took for Lysander to wish me a goodnight and set off towards the castle again with a skip to his step. The sound of his cheerful whistle mixed in with the knocking that was going on in my head when my mind started playing a memory that was just as fresh and potent as all the other torturing ones I owned.

'_Emily!'_

'_Go away,' she retorted at the voice coming from the other side of her bedroom door. She was busy running around her room, yanking things out of her drawers and closet to stuff them inside a backpack she transfigured from a paper bag from the grocery store. _

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

'_Emily!' The knocking got louder, more threatening. 'Open this door, you brat!'_

_She rolled her eyes. 'Go on without me,' she called back as she punched the sweater inside her backpack so she could shove in a small wooden box into it. 'I'm not feeling well. I think I'm coming down with a cold and London weather will not do me any good. Just leave.'_

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

'_Nick, just go without—'_

_BANG._

_With a gasp, she turned around and stared outraged at the man that had practically kicked off her bedroom door from its hinges. 'Are you insane?!' Her green eyes were wide, matching his perfectly. 'I'm not fixing that!'_

_His eyes glanced towards the door, looking at the barricade that had previously separated them for a single second. Nick Taylor turned back to his sister and the deepest frustration glittered his orbs. 'Don't you worry about it, Emily,' his tone was frightfully condescending, 'I'll just pull my wand out of my pocket and fix it myself. How stupid of me: I thought _I_ was the wizard and you were the Squib.'_

_Her own frustration towards her sibling disappeared. Guilt came back with a pat to her shoulder, her old friend. She knew that she had no control on her brother's lack of magic, yet she felt like she stole it and kept it all to herself selfishly. _

'_Going somewhere?' He noticed the stuffed backpack on her bed._

'_I...um...I was just—' A popping sound echoed around the room and she felt panic for a moment. Nick looked around, brows furrowed, but the noise quickly faded and was forgotten. Emily exhaled. 'I'm going to New York.'_

_Her brother snorted. 'Funny,' he said with disregard, 'but I've got a corporate party to attend. And seeing as the host is my _boss _and he thrives on family unity, and I am trying to move up in the law firm to sustain both of us, I suggest you put on a dress and act like a muggle girl for a few hours because you're coming with me.'_

_She shook her head. Defiance—for the first time in her lifetime since Nick's been her legal guardian, she was putting her foot down. _

'_I asked you to come,' muttered Emily with a hint of emotion poking out. 'I asked you to go to New York with me, Nick.'_

'_You're not going,' he snapped, swallowing a knot in his throat. Whether it was red emotions, angry ones, or mournful ones, Emily had no idea. 'There's no point going back into the past, Emily; you're only going to end up opening old wounds. You're going to hurt yourself. There's a reason why I don't want to go, why I don't want _you _to go...New York is not our home anymore. There's nothing for us there.'_

_The young witch was momentarily sidetracked. There were only hazy memories of Nick giving her comfort, of Nick being a human being with emotions other than anger, back when they were children, that she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe that the barriers and masks had fallen; that he looked like he was about to let his memories and hurt flood in._

_He looked concerned. He looked like her brother._

'_I know that going home will be hard, but I..._we_ just need to. It's been been seven years, Nick. We need to go back. We need to go back and remember our roots. We need to remember the happy family we were.'_

'_We were not a happy family!' If she thought she'd won the first battle, she was completely wrong. He pulled out his gun and shot. 'We were about appearances! That's why they shipped me off to Tokyo like I was a fucking plague because I didn't have magic in my veins! They didn't love us, Emily!'_

_Tears welled in her eyes. 'That's not true!'_

'_Get dressed,' he hissed at her. 'You've got ten minutes to meet me in the car, Emily, or you can forget about seeing your boyfriend for the rest of your vacation!'_

_Emily opened her mouth to protest but her brother had already given her his back and stomped his way out of her room._

'_Are you sure this is worth it?' A dim voice asked her as she waved her wand at the door and it put itself together; shutting itself after it was done._

_A hand was put on her shoulder. She looked at it, the piece of body appearing from thin air. She guessed where the eyes were and she nodded. 'They're my parents, it's definitely worth it.'_

_Harry Potter appeared with a tug of his Invisibility Cloak. 'James won't be happy that he won't get to see you for the remainder of your winter holiday.'_

'_If you were given the chance to visit your parents' grave sooner than the first time you did, Mister Potter, would you have taken it?'_

_The Chosen One's bespectacled, emerald eyes glazed over with deep thought. It took him a moment to release a sigh and nod. 'We better hurry.'_

_Emily was quick to slip on her backpack and take Mister Potter's outstretched hand. It took one deep inhale and a quick self-assurance that she was doing the right thing when she felt the horrible sensations of apparition pulling her away from her bedroom._

My teeth bared at the same time that my nails retracted like a cat's would and dug themselves deep into the roots of the grass I was sitting on. A hiss of pain escaped my lips and it wasn't due to any external wounds. It was all the internal ones reopening—it was all the memories quaking awake, making me feel every miserable emotion I've collected in the sixteen years of my life.

I screamed.

"I can't do this," I cried into the night. "I'm done. I'm done!"

Almost a year of psychiatry sessions with a Healer from St. Mungo's and I haven't made any progress. Months of sitting in a chair, hearing him tell me all these ways that I could keep the voices in my head from talking, how I could shut away the grief, how I could forgive myself, how I could move on—all fucking useless.

I am useless; I'm broken. There's no fixing me.

I was too damaged to be fixed by a Healer with breathing techniques and words of encouragement. His advice couldn't fix someone who'd been neglected by her parents, raised by a nanny, had a dysfunctional family, whose mother was never home to embrace her daughter when she was scared or lonely, a father whose entire function was to keep his legacy pure and his investments rising higher and higher, and a brother who loathed his sister because of DNA mistakes she had nothing to do with.

The Healer's advice would be better suited for someone who hadn't murdered her parents, someone who wasn't given a chance to grieve them, someone who was torn from her homeland and then shipped off to a boarding school where she didn't know a single soul.

The Healer's advice would do wonders for someone who hadn't been attacked physically, emotionally, and mentally by a werewolf. Someone who hadn't been sixteen and gotten raped and pregnant by that werewolf. Someone who hadn't miscarried two months following the traumatizing event.

I was a lost cause and no one wanted to see it. They all just thought I needed more time, more space, more help, more comforting, more love, and more advice. I didn't need all of that. I didn't want any of it.

I needed an escape. I needed an _end_.

Fumbling a shaking hand into my open schoolbag, I let my fingers find the metallic object that'd been stored and hidden in there for several weeks. My fingers gripped it, a cry got stuck in my throat, and then I pulled my hand out: a blade glowed in the moonlight.

I brought the tip of the blade to my left wrist. I was about to plunge it in, but James' face appeared through the cycle of memories playing in my head. I saw his brown eyes, so beautiful and big and rimmed with thick lashes. I saw the nose he'd inherited from his father, his mother's smile along with the slightest whisper of freckles across his nose that he got from her. His untamable black hair, the scar on his left temple from a bludger he took to the face when he was eight. I saw every little aspect of his face and it _hurt_.

Some would say that sixteen is too young to know about true love, but that was the only positive thing I was absolutely sure about: James Sirius Potter was the love of my life. He was everything.

I didn't deserve him.

He needed someone just as in love with life as he is. He needed someone healthy, someone who's mind didn't feed her poison. Someone who didn't come with unmovable bruises and scars. He needed a girl just as adventurous and loud as him; not someone who he felt he needed to protect every single second of the day for the fear that she'd break herself.

The blade sliced deeply through my wrist in one fluid motion.

I should've felt immense pain, shouldn't I? I should've felt my skin rip open and my veins slice up—but I didn't. The physical pain wasn't an option. Physical pain was tamed because the excruciating burning of everything inside of me overpowered it. It just made the cutting of my next wrist and its vein almost graceful.

I watched the blood ooze out from both my wrists for a long moment. My mind went blank for what seemed like hours, but the cold splashing of water around my ankles climbing higher alerted me and I refocused. I was inside of the Black Lake, marching in deeper to the hollows of it.

My eyes fluttered shut. The blood was still squirting out of my popped veins and I could feel myself growing weaker. A laugh passed my lips. I could feel the life coming out of me, too. It was...

There was no ground to set my feet on anymore. The icy, dark water of the lake reached my neck and I opened my eyes again. Everything was so dark, almost unrecognizable as my eyelids grew heavy and my heart wasn't beating the way it should to sustain every organ and cell inside my body alive.

I was dying.

I was ready to die.

How strange: I felt peaceful as I sunk into the lake and water covered me all.

_I'm sorry_, was all I could think of; _finally_, said the voice inside my head.

Then there was nothing.


	22. Tragedy in the Making

**Here We Go Again**

**Chapter 22: **Tragedy in the Making**  
**

**POV: **Lily

"Greetings to you all! May Merlin shine his light upon you today!"

Every person sitting at the Gryffindor table looked up to see what was the cause of flower petals raining down on us. It wasn't a surprise to see Louis twirling his wand about, ruining another breakfast for his entertainment. Roxy and Hugo stood in each side of him, looking about to laugh at his ridiculous, sappy look. It made me sick.

"It's Louis and Coral's anniversary today," informed Roxy to the people frowning at our blonde cousin. She reached over to him and pulled down his wand, ending the spell and his concentration.

"And it's the first year he's managed not to fuck things up," added Hugo, clapping Louis roughly on the back. "Congratulations, mate. You've won the medal for Best Boyfriend of the Year."

Louis smiled widely, not catching the mock in our cousin's tone. "Honestly, I am. I've actually managed to survive today without McLaggen ending our relationship in a flare of anger or getting attacked by flying cauldrons." He flicked his wand up again and flower petals began to drizzle down on us. "I might actually get some proper hank-panky tonight, lads. I'm telling you, today's glorious!"

_Bang._

"Today is a horrible day!" Punching the schoolbag that he'd thrown onto the surface of the table, Freddie paid no mind to all the other Gryffindors frowning at him. (Honestly, people in this castle had to hate the Weasleys. There was no way anyone got peace and quiet when we were around. People surely damned our existence.)

I was one of the people to frown. Freddie's schoolbag knocked over my goblet of pumpkin juice and it spilled onto my lap.

"It's about to get worse, you troll," I hissed at the redhead, gesturing to my lap. "Do you just wake up mucking things up?"

Freddie ignored me. "There I was," he began, like someone had asked what his problem was—other than the obvious, dimwitted one, "looking my best, as per usual, when I was going to the grounds to meet one of my lady friends—"

"—Is this a lie?"

"—Sounds like a lie."

"—You don't have any lady friends, Fred."

The redhead glared at all the interruptions. "_Anyway_," he hissed, "I was about to turn the corner of the Charms classroom when I heard some very peculiar sounds coming from there. Now, it could've been two things, right? Either someone was being killed very slowly and painfully, or someone was doing the dirty on poor Professor Horton's desk!

"Being the bloody good citizen that I am, I whipped out my wand and marched forward, ready to defend whatever soul was getting murdered, when—can you believe it—there was no killing scene! Someone actually was getting it on in the classroom!"

The expression on everyone's face was that of the one everyone gives to Professor Binns when he's going on and on about the stupid Goblin Wars during a History of Magic lesson. We were bored, and looked at him pityingly.

"Sometimes I wonder if any of our experiments went wrong," mumbled Louis gently as he petted Freddie's back, but looked at us Gryffindors. "James and I take full blame for his defects."

Our redhead cousin turned and punched the blonde on the throat. Louis fell to the ground of the Great Hall and started gasping; no one paid him any mind. "_Anyway_," he snapped again, "it was Al and Nia! The dirty bastards were doing it at this time of the morning!"

"How does that even make it a horrible day for you, Freddie?" asked Roxy.

"Al hexed me!" Freddie exclaimed. "All I did was give them a giant cheer and he sent a jinx to my manly-bits! I couldn't necessarily meet up with my lady friend then, could I? I got no hanky-panky and I'm feeling very tender—_my morning is ruined!_"

"You do not have a lady friend, Freddie," I repeated.

"I do, too!"

"You do not—" Appearing at the table, all loyally together, was Malfoy, Rose and Liam. My heart stopped as the brown eyes of my ex-boyfriend found mine. There was something heartbreaking about them, but before I could get lost in them, before any of the tender emotions could resurface, someone else started speaking and he took the intrusion to blink away.

Scowling at us with her parental attitude, Rose released her boyfriend's hand as she bent towards the ground and appeared a second later with Louis; pulling him up by the collar of his button-up. "I know I'm going to regret this, but what is wrong _now_?"

"Freddie caught Al and Nia going at it like animals in the Charms classroom," Hugo responded to his sister's question, "and he interrupted, as always. Al hexed him in the quaffles and now Freddie is very emotionally hurt."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at my cousin. "Are you sure it was them?"

"I'm pretty fucking positive," snapped Freddie as he finally took a seat at the table. "Al faced me and hexed me out of the classroom." He stopped for a moment, laughing and shaking his head as he reached for a plate of breakfast. "I did get a full view of Harper's shapely back features—before she hid under the desk, that is. Did you know she has a tattoo on her lower back?"

Liam and Rose turned to each other, eyebrows raised and a mutual look of confusion on their faces.

"Ah! Look who it is!" But before they could question anything, Freddie was glaring once more when Al and Nia were heading our direction; hands clasped together. Their facial features were far from similar, however. There was a deeply aggravated look on my brother's face, whereas Harper looked far from the present moment. "Come to apologize for—"

Freddie was talking, turning red from his anger, but no sound was coming out of his lips. Malfoy flashed his concentrated silver eyes from him towards the arriving couple. He had cast a nonverbal on Freddie, but I had to be the only one to see the suspicion behind it. He wasn't annoyed, Malfoy, he was concerned.

"Busy morning, was it?" Malfoy narrowed his silver gaze at my brother.

"You can say that," replied Albus offhandedly. He cleared his throat and pulled his blonde girlfriend tighter to his side. Something was definitely up. Their mutual spark, that kind that made me sick was somehow retained. Al looked like he was keeping Harper captive and the witch looked like she was suffocating.

"I bet," snickered Hugo, calling the attention to him. He was smirking tauntingly, wiggling his eyebrows at Al and Harper. Merlin only knows why, but he's always had a thing for the bloody gorgeous witch. Whenever he could get a chance to flirt with her, make innuendos, he'd take them with glee. "Freddie tells us that, being the lucky bastard you are, Al, that you—"

"Emily's missing," interrupted my brother.

The cheeky atmosphere left and was replaced with a sudden, thick fog of worry. Malfoy's brows furrowed, looking like he was solving a major arithmetic problem; Rose stopped rubbing Louis' back in attempt to help him regain his lost oxygen; Liam was on high-alert; and even I stopped seeing the web of secrets Al and Malfoy were weaving together.

"We found James an hour ago," Al continued. "He's looking for her everywhere. He's going insane."

"Don't you two know where she is?" I looked briefly at Harper, but settled on Rose. "Surely you must've heard or seen her leave your shared dormitory."

Almost as if she had noticed her surroundings, like she was checking in, Harper gave a slight jump and looked around at all of us with scowling blue eyes. She shoved Albus away, looking like the aggravated girl that was so common. "We would have noticed, but she hasn't slept in our dormitory for the past month."

"Where has she—"

"She sleeps in ours," Louis cut across Malfoy's question, finally puffed with all of his oxygen. "James has been sneaking her in for weeks, but yesterday he slept alone. We assumed they had a row because James was sort of miserable all day. And as soon as he woke up and washed, he set off to look for her."

Malfoy frowned. "She shouldn't be sleeping with Potter."

"Oh, like that matters right now," I hissed at the Slytherin, standing from my seat. "This is not the first time Em goes missing, but we're going to focus on the fact of whether or not she sleeps with James? Nia and Al go at it like rabbits, but no one ever says anything about that! We girls can make the bloody choice if we have sex or not, and none of you should look down at us for it. _Hypocrites_."

Liam had blinked in my direction when I first spoke, but now he was looking away. Figures.

"That was completely unnecessary and disturbing," mumbled Rose, shaking her red curls at me. "Louis, you and Freddie head up to your dormitory and grab the Marauders Map. We've got an hour before lessons, let's hope we can find Em then."

**X**

Most days—maybe because I was going through a breakup, heartache, and uncontrollable, teenage angst—I couldn't stand my brothers. One was worse than the other in various, irritating ways. What they had in common was that they both liked to ignore me, which I was fine with some of the time, and they both liked to belittle me. They had a habit of telling the people around them that I was their little sister; like I was a retarded puppy that was never going understand the functionings of the world. When they weren't doing that, they were pissing me off by being typical older and mocking brothers. Is there any doubt why I send them both packing to hell?

On a regular day, I'd continue on my path and pretend James was just a fly on the wall. Today, however, was not a regular day. Where he's usually obnoxious and dimwitted, today James was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"What were you two fighting about?" asked Rose as we all walked to the Head Office. It was five minutes until classes started, but according to Roxy, McGonagall was looking for James, Rose, Al, Malfoy, Harper, Liam and I.

With an expression that resembled a little boy who was told his Pygmy Puff died, James barely mumbled, "she cancelled her meetings with the Healer..."

"What?! Since when?"

"She hasn't gone since before the Christmas holidays," replied James to Malfoy's outraged question.

Rose pulled on her worried-mother face. "How is that possible?"

James shrugged as we gave a turned and came face to face with the statue of the gargoyle that hid the entrance to the Headmistress' office. He mumbled the password to it and then added, "I don't know...I just know because Neville let it slip that she had stopped. He was...He is certain she's gotten better."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe she has, Jamie. Maybe she's ready to move on now."

We stomped our way up the spiral staircase. When we reached the door Al was the one to knock. When we heard the Headmistress' voice my brother twisted the golden handle and both tall and grand doors opened for us. We were expecting, as usual when one comes to visit the Headmistress' office, to see McGonagall sitting behind her desk and glaring at us. Usually the portraits of Dumbledore and Snape were waiting, too; one with a smile and twinkling lights as eyes, while the other frowned with distaste.

This time, however, McGonagall wasn't alone and irritated.

"Mum?"

Standing at the side of the Headmistress' desk was a redhead woman. If Mum was ever present in the office, she was not happy. Of course, I have never gotten into serious trouble to know, but James has always said that Mum never bothered to hide the fact that she was on the verge of murder for being called in. This time, she was not happy, but she wasn't angry either. There was something glittering in her brown eyes that made my heart pick up a grave rhythm.

What was also odd about the entire thing was that Lysander Scamander was there, too. He was standing beside Mum, blonde hair down to his eyes and those baby blues looking tormented and guilty. (That was a first for him. He was usually Mister Happy.)

"Mum," sighed James, visibly out of energy, "if this is about the prank that was pulled on Lysander, I swear I had nothing to do with it. It was some Hufflepuffs, okay? I was just the one who sold them Uncle George's products. I didn't know who they were using them on, honest. I'll give you all their names."

McGonagall frowned at my brother—she had warned him about distributing any Weasley Wizard Wheezes products—but she didn't say anything about it. She kept her mouth shut, surprisingly, as Mum swallowed to speak. Her hands were jittering, which was also peculiar, that she had to clutch them together.

"Yesterday night, after all the Astronomy students had made their way inside the castle, Filch noticed that one lingered behind. He went to fetch her, but...but he noticed that the girl was moving into the Black Lake. When he got to the edge of it, the girl was...the girl was already...erm...He waited for her to come out, but..."

Mum was losing her resolution and that never happened. Her hands were shaking and she sucked in a deep breath. She was attempting to pull herself together, but she couldn't. McGonagall took control of the situation with her firm tone.

"Miss Taylor was pulled out of the shallows of the Black Lake almost forty minutes after she went in."

Everyone drew a breath together, but I must have been the only one to turn to James. His face crumbled, the brightness of his eyes died and drowned with tears. He turn white like powder and looked about to collapse.

I grabbed his arms before he could fall.

"She lost a lot of blood—"

"Who attacked her?" interjected Malfoy, eyes wild and terrified.

"There was no attack," replied the Headmistress.

Rose knitted her brows, her eyes leaking tears as her and Nia hugged each other. "What...What do you mean, Professor? How did she lose blood, then?"

Mcgonagall looked like her usual, composed self, but her tone sounded far from it. She sounded sympathetic, saddened, and helpless. "One slash on both wrists were the cause of the blood loss. Those punctures were self-inflicted."

"That's not true!" roared James, suddenly coming to life but looking like he was on the verge of falling to his death. "That's not true! She would have never done that! She would have never attempted to leave me! _That's not true!_"

He withered like an uncontrolled animal, shoving me onto the ground and looking ready to attack. His eyes were red, tears dripping with free reign, and his hands were balled into dangerous fists.

Mum was at his side within a millisecond. She wrapped her arms tight around him, fighting for him to surrender.

As James' screams echoed off the Headmistress' office, as Harper helped me off the ground, we all looked at each other and accepted what my brother couldn't. Emily would have attempted suicide. Emily would have left James behind.

**X**

The rest of the school day was incredibly unbearable. There was a certain silence in the classrooms, but no one seemed to know why. There was a tragic atmosphere during dinner, making the Pumpkin Juice bitter and the food tasteless. No one exactly knew why it was that the castle was dampened by gray, but it infected everyone just the same.

Rose had skipped dinner and whispered to me that she was going to the Slytherin Common Room to try and see Malfoy. It was painfully evident that Malfoy loved Emily, more than could be expressed, and Rose had come to terms with that. She knew that his love for her was the overbearing, unshakeable love that a brother had over his little sister. Although Emily was one of Rose's closest friends, it was somehow silently said that he needed the support more than she did.

Where best friends are concerned, Roxy mentioned that Liam and Nia were huddled together in a crook of an aisle inside the library. It was calm there, perfect to be silent there together. Roxy said that Al tried to pull Nia away so they could go somewhere together, to some place where he could hug her and tell her that it was all going to be okay, but that she did not give in. She instead had suggested that Al head to the Hospital Wing and wait outside incase James needed anything.

As everyone was off in a pair, I was alone. At least, that's how I was before a foreigner came into my lonely hiding place and kept me company.

"You could tell me, you know," Octavio De la Cruz whispered to me as he sat beside me; both of us looking into the flames of Trelawney's fireplace. (I liked the Divination Professor, and I always beat anyone who disrespected her and took advantage of her trust in students, but tonight I was taking advantage that she never locked her classroom. It was the one place that was equipped like a common room. Pillows, rugs, fireplace, and even a tea set.)

I shrugged. "It's not my story to tell."

The Slytherin chuckled. "I am not referring to the reason you and your _amigos _are saddened tonight, but the reason why you have been hiding for the past days."

I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes on the flames crackling. "You're perceptive. Is that usual for someone like you?"

He laughed again. "For someone like me?"

"Yeah. You know, a_ bloke_. Blokes don't notice anything."

"Well, most boys around here have friends to help them pass the time. I am the new student who people are not quite warming up to. My sister could count as a distraction sometimes, but Ophelia has found her own entertainment in your brother, it seems."

"My brother?" This time I did turn to him. "What do you mean? Are you referring to Albus?"

His dark, profound eyes trapped me. His gaze locked me in and I felt as if it all might have been a trap. They were captivating. Everything about the Spaniard made me feel different. It made me feel new and anonymous.

"You met me in the library every night at eight, remember? It was not hard to miss your presence as I was organizing books by myself. Not to mention that you ignored me three nights ago when I tried to get your attention. Rumour has it you broke up with your boyfriend."

His right brow rose up, like he was inspecting me. It made me nervous.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said. "It's not worth talking about."

"He cared about you."

"Octavio—"

"But that was the problem, wasn't it? He cared about you _too _much." He stared me down. "And that's why you broke up with him, isn't it? Because there is a difference between love and caring. Just like there is a difference between passion and lukewarm affection."

"Liam loves me," I said harshly, but somehow it sounded wrong to have to defend it.

"Like someone loves a puppy."

"Stop it!" I snarled and shoved him. "Don't pretend to know the functions of my relationship with him!"

He gripped my arm, pulling me in. "I _do _know them, Lily. It's all you talked about when we were together." He grinned crookedly at me, the light of the flames making his indigo-colored eyes looked more devilish than ever. "And I see your frustration. You are a caged bird too big for its prison cell. You want out, but no one wants to let you go. Precious Lily, fragile Lily. You were his pet, _hermosa_."

I raised my free arm to strike him but he clutched it before my hand could make impact with his face. "I am no one's pet, De la Cruz."

With that crooked grin of his, the Sixth Year Slytherin gripped my arms more tightly and he reeled me in. His lips captured mine roughly, his top teeth grazing my skin. He moved his mouth like he had no care in the world, like he was kissing stone instead of a delicate flower.

It lasted not as long as I thought a forced kiss would. He pulled back and eyed me carefully. "I'll stop," he said.

But, surprisingly so, I shook my head. It wasn't a bad kiss, it was just different. It didn't bubble love in my chest, but it bubbled excitement. I felt different. I felt new. I felt like I could be the released bird instead of the adorable, fluffy pet people saw me as.

He wanted me. Truly, he desired me. I saw it in his eyes.

So, I kissed him back. We fell back on the floor, a cushion underneath my head. He was on me, hands exploring as mine copied his ways. My heart was thumping with thrill and fear of the unknown. I let him, though; I let him take what Liam never wanted to take.


	23. The Insane and The Even More Demented

**Scorpius's POV**

* * *

_Bang_.

"---Blimey, Malfoy, are you still going at it?" The door to the empty Transfiguration classroom opened with much force, and walking gracefully inside came Lucas Zabini. His expression looking suddenly annoyed by the very gaze of me as he balanced a thick stacks of books in his arms; his left leg kicking the door shut. "For the love of Merlin and Slytherin, why won't you just let it go?"

I turned on my heels, stopping the mental rant going inside of the walls of my head, and threw him an incredulous stare. "Really, Zabini? Really? Did you honestly expect that I was going to let this go? Would _you_ have let it go?" I questioned, letting my surprised stare turn into a glare. "Would you let it go if it was you who disappointed and betrayed Roxanne? Would you be able to look into her brown eyes and glowing face----"

"_Stop! Stop!_" He flinched, waving his arms in the air as he settled the handful of books I asked him to bring me on the desk nearby. "Alright, mate, I get it. You have a pressuring conscience. Now, please, do not bring my Roxy into this. I wouldn't bare to----"

"Exactly my point, Zabini." I snapped, stepping away from the Professors main desk and joining Lucas at our regular desk when we had lessons with the HufflePuffs.

"What are you even trying to find, mate?" He asked, as I picked up one of the many books. "I doubt there is an answer to why you...you know, _snogged_ Madison Mulciber. Isn't it just something that occurs in a blokes system? You know, hormones and all that rubbish. I doubt that _The Secrets and Riddles of the Human Mind _will help you at any rate."

I frowned, lowering the thick book back on the surface of the desk. (Damn him. Zabini was absolutely right.) "I just need an explanation, Lucas. I refuse to believe that I'm _actually_ attracted to Madison. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to diminish her by any means, she's a beautiful girl in her own way, mind you, but I have never had this problem. I've never been able to see any other witch that wasn't Rose."

"You saw Emily....."

My eyes tore themselves away from the pile of books, where I was hoping and praying to Merlin that an answer _was_ written among the old pages, and gaped at Zabini with sad eyes. Feeling the rush of nostalgia run up from the pit of my stomach and up to my chest. Burning everything in the process, making me feel momentarily ill.

"Sorry, mate. Too soon, eh?" Lucas mumbled, his green eyes looking apologetic as he ran a hand through his brownish curls. "I'm sorry...I'm just a ruddy git when my brains everywhere. I never meant to bring Em up in the conversation.... I love that silly witch, but you know...I forget..."

"How can you forget?" I whispered, lowering myself onto the bench of the desk behind me. "She's in the Hospital Wing, Zabini, barely holding on to her life...."

"Before I found you, I was up visiting her with my Roxy....I just tried to block the image of her, so weak and defenseless, from my head. But I remembered the issue, mate....The one Rosie used to have with her....."

"Yeah, well----" I cleared my throat, trying to erase the description that my fellow Slytherin gave of Emily Taylor that was trying to conjure and form in my head. "You're right. I did see Emily. She's the only girl that comes close to what I feel for Rose, but in a much different sense. I love both of them with every fiber of my being, but only Rose captures my soul. Emily's like the sister I never had....my best friend....And I do understand that misinterpretation James and Rose had from the start about Emily and I....and that's why I refuse to believe that Madison is the exception. If anyone would have taken the place in my heart that Weasley holds, it would have been Emily not Madison."

"----Are you ever going to tell her?" Zabini interjected, his face still looking guilty as he reached over for a book. "Rose, I mean. Are you ever going to tell her what happened with the new Ravenclaw?"

"A sodding imprudent idiot and now a retard, eh, Zabini? Well, you certainly are progressing." I huffed at my friend, reading every title of the books that lay before me.

"Oi. Oi."Lucas frowned, throwing a book to the marbled floor. (Clear choice. I doubt that _The Smell of Betrayal _would have been an accurate choice at the moment. I was still having trouble looking at the mirror and not vomiting at the very sight of me.) "I resent that, alright. You just seem like the decent enough bloke to tell his girlfriend of the thickheaded mistake he made. You aren't like Potter, who thrives on what he is doing to Nia----"

"We are bloody beasts, aren't we?" I grunted, leaning against the bench. The pile of information forgotten again as the choice of Zabini's words poked at my brain cells. "It seems like Al and I have the same conflict, and yet I'm the only one regretting every second of it."

"Oh, come in. It must be empty. You simply can't----"The door to the classroom opened once more, and this time instead of expecting a dark-skinned Slytherin to march in carrying the solution to my problems, my eyes caught sight of deep blue eyes.

The problem had just walked in.

"Scorpius...."Accompanying the regret of days past, two redheads emerged inside of the room. Both looking extremely sad on their pale faces as the blue-eyed witch threw me a shy smile.

"Rose---"I managed to say, standing up from the bench as my heart gave a loud thump. "What's wrong love?" I asked in sudden panic, registering the fact that Rose looked ready to pass out at any given. She looked so exhausted that she had to be supported up because she would not be able to stand on her own.

"She's just in momentary shock---"Roxanne Weasley replied for her cousin. Her arms gripping the left side of Rose's body, as my Gryffindor attempted to push her red waves away from her sweaty face. "It was her and Lily's turn to go and visit Emily at the Hospital Wing, seeing as you skipped your turn, and just the mere sight of the American got her all....queasy."

I grimaced. "_Oh_."

"It's not as daunting as one assumes...." Roxanne continued, walking to Lucas after she settled Rose on a bench. Leaving her with Madison Mulciber to rub soothing circles on her back, their eyes connecting in sympathy and gratitude. (For Salazar's sake. I was going straight to the depths of hell.) "It's not like Em is disfigured or mutilated...it's just after being so used to seeing her so whole and complete, one can't seem to digest the fact that now she looks like she truly felt. So---"

"I reckon Malfoy gets the point, Darling---"Lucas chimed in, patting his girlfriend on the back to keep her from continuing. "Maybe we should respect that fact that he choose not to see her."

"How can you _not_, Scorpius?" Rose spoke again, the color returning to her pale face as Madison kept rubbing her back in comfort. The Ravenclaw chanting 'Breathe,Rose. Breathe.' over and over in a small quite voice. "Emily's suppose to be your best friend. How can you not go see her in a time like this? She needs you there, just like all of us."

"I....I have a few things on my mind, Rose. I rather take care of those before I go and divulge on Emily's issues. Besides, James is constantly with her. I don't think that the bloke wants me to intrude on their time."

"What can possibly be _more_ important than your friends, Malfoy?" My girlfriends' voice got louder and rougher. She stood up quickly from the bench, startling Madison as she stumbled a few inches away from her. Her blue eyes looking up at me in a millisecond and then down at the marbled floor as soon as they collided with my grey ones. "Emily just barely scraped by from her attempt of _suicide_! Which is rather important matter, I wager, unless that isn't in _your_ definition." Rose place her palms on her hips, the resemblance between her and her Grandmother was starting to flare. ('Always beware of the Weasley Women fury.' Oh, how daft can I be to forget to listen to dads' advice when it comes to my relationship with Ron Weasley's only daughter?)

"I've just...."

"---Perhaps we should go, Rosie. It's a family matter and Malfoy has not been keen in talking about it because of Emily's situation." Bless Zabini. He just spoke at the right moment. "It's something to do with Draco, and Scorpius is not in the given mental-state to speak of it.....Let's just go down to the Great Hall, I expect James is a tortured mess."

Rose raised a dark eyebrow, suspicion bubbling behind her eyes as she stared between Lucas and I. (How could she not? She's the daughter of the Brightest Witch of the Age. She's bound to know and remember that whenever dad and I get into a row she's the first person I talk to.) "I'll go, but only because James does need us at the moment. Do not think, though, that I'll forget about this." She said in a warning tone, looking at me with firm eyes.

"Erm, right." I nodded. (It's always better to nod and agree than to suffer the Weasley rage. I learned that by watching Mister Potter forget Valentines Day last year; it was such a bizarre and cruel thing to watch as the Chosen One dodged hex after hex that his wife sent his way.)

"Are you coming?"Rose asked looking at the dirty-blonde Ravenclaw, letting the couple exit the classroom first as Zabini sent me an apathetic stare before taking Roxanne by the hand and escaping before the situation got worse. "We can go eat something, Madi, before lessons commence."

'_Madi_?'----Like the muggles would say: Jesus Christ!

"I'll catch up in a minute, Rose. I just have to leave a note for Professor McGonagall. With everything that is going on at the current moment I haven't been able to give it to her. It's for a recount on my O.W.L's last year." Madison mumbled at my girlfriend, pulling out a squared parchment from the pocket of her robes.

"I'm sorry, Madison." Rose sighed, her hazel eyes glowing with a bit of guilt that I had to really hold in the disgust. "I've been taking up most of your time with issues that aren't yours that I'm keeping you from things that are important...."

"Nonsense---" The Ravenclaw shook her head. "What are friends for, Rose? It's not a problem, I assure you. It's just that my mum would really want me to handle this situation before the term is over."

My head started spinning as the two interacted; my heart started thumping loudly and all the air pumping inside of my lungs didn't seem like it was circling. It felt like it was all collecting at the tip of my insides and just expanding there. Letting my brain thump inside of my head without the right amount of blood as my heart started to pump what was left in my veins. The room was beginning to spin in circles and the title of the last book Zabini had chucked at the floor carelessly was staring up mockingly at me. It kept flashing repeatedly, like in a scene of the thickest muggle movie: _The Smell of Betrayal. The Smell of Betrayal._

_ You're an idio_t. _You're an idiot. (_Yeah, that was more like it.)

"Scorpius, are you alright?" A warm hand pressed against my shoulder, startling me out of my hyperventilation

"Don't you ever disappear?" I hissed at the profound blue eyes looking worriedly at me. "You seem to always be around, Mulciber. Have you not a life of your own?" I slapped her hand away, glaring at her with deep hatred.

"I-I'm sorry...."She whispered in a hurt voice, her expression melting into a pained look. "You just....You just started getting rather pale and your eyes were unfocused....I just assumed you were going to pass out...I-I just wanted...to help."

"Yeah, well...."I groaned, shaking my head at her furiously that the ends of my blonde hair poked my eyes. "I'm sorry I'm being rude, Madison. But it's a bit problematic for me to have you around at the give moment. I would appreciate it if you....just stayed away. From me...and from Rose." I said straightforwardly, my eyes narrowing in lack of ethics as my tone was quite unfriendly.

"----_Excuse me_?"Not expecting that tone or reaction to come out from shy and silent Madison Mulciber, I took a step back as her white face flared up with fury. Her blue eyes burning a deep navy as they stabbed their way at mine. "Do you think that you can just kiss me and expect me to disappear? Oh, well that certainly is accommodating for you, isn't it Malfoy?"

What the bloody hell?

"----Look, I didn't kiss you, alright? I would never snog anyone who is not my girlfriend, which is Rose and that I happen to love more than my own life. I am sure that something must have gone wrong in my head that----"

"You're quite full of it, Scorpius." Madison laughed, her eyes gazing down at me with humor. A dark, twisted, humor. "But it's quite alright. I'm not done playing yet...." Her lips tugged themselves into a devious smirk. (Holy Merlin.) "If you excuse me, my darling new friend is waiting for me. I expect Rosie would not like it if I kept her waiting, we are getting just so close."

"Madison----" But before the devil herself----who apparently reincarnated into the form of a short, blonde, Ravenclaw----exited the Transfiguration classroom without a second glance. Just the echo of her mocking laughter bouncing off of the walls.

Apparently, I'm looking in the wrong set of books. I was going to need a bible.

------------

"Mental. Absolutely bonkers. Insane. Loopy. Nutters. St. Mungo's Escapee. Deranged. Crazy. Psychotic. Barmy. Berserk. Demented. _Cuckoo_---"

"Oi, that's enough. I get it, mate. You've named every possible term to describe Madison Mulciber."I groaned, my eyes focusing at the puffy white clouds floating above me, so carefree that it was starting to anger me. (It was a good thing my wand was stashed somewhere inside of my schoolbag or else I would sent a curse directly at them. Mind you, it wouldn't do much damage to the atmosphere, but it would make me feel loads better.)

"How did you ever get into that situation, Malfoy? You do _not_ go and snog the craziest out of the bunch. You have to carefully select the one that is right, not the one that jumps at you with hungry appealing eyes."

I frowned, not removing my eyes from the skies. "Merlin, Potter, excuse me. I should have just been like you and grabbed myself the new Slytherin before I caught the attention of the psycho roaming around Hogwarts. Because here I am, waiting and hoping that some witch will come between my girlfriend and I and ruin everything that I hold most dear."

"Don't get sarcastic with me, Malfoy----" Al snapped, his fist colliding with the side of my arm. "I'm just saying. Mulciber is turning out to be quite a problem for you, which really blows if you think about it. You weren't even trying to do anything with her and yet she can easily crush everything...."

"You have no shame do you, Potter?"

"This isn't about _me_ Scorpius---"Al snickered, his tone sounding so relaxing that it made me develop a strange sort of hate for my best mate. (I was just never going to understand how coldhearted he has become.) "But, honestly, I don't think you should give it much thought. If Madison decides to take the plunge and tell my cousin about your _once_ snog-session then she'll lose it all. Rose would _never_ believe her, you know that."

I groaned again. "I'm going to need a shinning miracle----" And just as I spoke, a thick mane of intense blue-hair covered my view of the mocking clouds. Erasing the bright sky with a pair of silvery eyes and a wide grin.  
"----Afternoon, lads."

"Teddy?" Al and I asked in unison; both of us snapping into sitting positions as the Auror-in-training crossed his arms smugly over his chest as he looked at us.

"Well charming to see both of you lazying about on your fat-asses. Shouldn't you be in some boring, useless, lesson? You know, studying and scribbling down notes that will only end up as a ball of parchment being transfigured into a crane?"

"We've got break---"Al said in the same smug tone his older brother used. "Mum mentioned you were stopping by in today's owl post. She said you two were coming down to talk to the Headmistress about 'situations'."

"Exactly. Now you best go and find mum, she wants to talk to James, Lily, and you before we leave and I told her I'd _try_ to find you. And that usually means that I _have_ to or I won't be getting those tickets for Holy-Head Harpies that I promised Vicky I've had for the past month, now on you go." Teddy extended his arm out, and motioned Al to the route back to the castle.

"You'll tell me what it's about right, Ted?" Al asked eagerly, as he stood and dusted his trousers from the blades of grass he crushed. "Another uprising of Death Eaters so I can start practicing my curses?"

"It's an Auror-Department issue, little Albus, and definitely none of your business. So stick your greasy nose somewhere else, now _go_---"Teddy ordered .

"You've really taken this job seriously, eh Ted?" I asked my cousin as Al stalked away, flashing the blue-haired wizard a rude gesture that would have earned him detention if a Professor would have seen. "According to Mrs. Potter it's the first thing she wishes that you weren't passionate about."

Teddy chuckled and rolled his eyes, lowering himself onto the grass. "Mums' a bit of a nutter when it comes to my career choices. I expect she was wishing I'd stay with Uncle George and administer his joke shop. She prefers I don't do anything 'reckless'. You should have seen when I was a Fifth Year and I told her I wanted to manage dragons just like her brother Charlie....It was the year that gave me the record of most Howlers."

"Yeah...."

"Something the matter, cousin?" Teddy asked, his eyebrow raising up from his pale forehead as he started imitating the hue of my natural white-blonde hair. "You look a bit glum. You're usually all hyped up like a squealing witch whenever I come around. And I _know_ my presence causes the most erratic of displays, so what's up?"

I rolled my eyes at my carbon-copy, not stirred by the fact of Teddy's gift. (After all, I had five years to get over it. It's just rather annoying now than fascinating.) "I'm having a bit of an issue...."

"Witch troubles---"He blurted, nodding his head as his expression started taking the shape of my dads' face. "Obviously. Blokes only get all conflicted when it has to do with girls, at least that's what my dad always told me. He said he used to feel like a monster was growing inside of him when he used to think of mum."

"Yeah, well, something like that...." I replied in a murmur, not trying to give a direct response to that. (If Mister Potter felt like there was a monster inside of him when he started fancying his wife, then he must have been as rubbish with girls like Albus is now.)

"So what seems to be the problem?" He asked, his features finally going back to their natural intense self.

"Was there ever a moment----"I went on, finally being able to find it in me to talk to him. I preferred it when he was Teddy Lupin, not a copy of myself or my father. "Where you _had_ to show Victoire that you loved her more than anything else? When it was absolutely crucial to do it?"

Teddy scratched his blue hair, running his fingers there for a moment as he looked deep in thought. "Well, we never had a major row. At least not a fight that was worth trying to get our relationship to the next level....Vicky and I have always been natural....Our relationship just sort of happened and we liked it that way....But I suppose that I was getting tired with her just knowing that I loved her...So what I decided next is actually obvious----" He grinned, lifting his right hand into the air. Letting his fingers glow and sparkle from the rays of the sun.

"Merlin...." I breathed, an idea clicking loudly inside of my head.

"----Where are you going?! _Oi_! Scorpius, I came to see you, you ungrateful brat and you just storm off?! _Scorpius_!" I heard Teddy shout as I bolted up onto my feet and began running towards the entrance of the castle.

I had asked for a shinning miracle and it had come in the form of Teddy. Not exactly what I was expecting, mind you, Teddy was never full of bright ideas. He was always the reason behind, and still is, of the daft situations that Louis, James, Freddie, and Parker get themselves into. He was never really a person that I could say was the wisest of men, but oh did he prove me wrong. Apparently, there still was a sane link in those who have descended from the noble Blacks.

"Watch it, Malfoy." Sar Finnegan, who I hadn't seen quite much over this year since he scored himself a girlfriend, bumped into my left shoulder as he pushed his girlfriend aside. "You just can't be running about like you own the place---" He placed a palm on his HufflePuff's back and directed her towards the doors.

Ignoring him and the piercing eyes of those who stared at me like I had just snapped and gone insane, I scouted the massive sea of students for a certain redhead.

"Rose!" After dodging the heads of Lucy and Freddie Weasley, I pushed my feet to move as fast as possible towards the redheaded beauty soothing James Potter by the staircases. "Rose!"

"Scorpius, what are you doing?" She squeaked as I pulled her way from James, wrapping my arms around her waist as I needed, quite desperately, for her hazel eyes to stare into mine. "Scorp, stop. _Stop_. I'm trying to talk to James---"

But before she could continue on, noticing that Potter had retreated up the steps, I pressed my forehead against her. Taking a moment to breathe in her natural sweet scent; one that didn't make me feel nauseated but completely in bliss.

"Scorpius?" She asked again, this time her eyes looking concerned.

Shaking my head and placing a finger on her lips, I silenced her. I had finally conjured up the exact, perfect, thing to do. To prove to Rose that she was the _only_ girl that I have seen; that I will always see for the rest of my days. And the idea had always been stabbing me in the face, it was always obvious, but I never knew when I would actually go forward with it.

But seeing Teddy's glittering ring flash in the sun encouraged it.

It was time.

"Rose, will you marry me?"

There was no way in Merlin's earth that I would let my Gryffindor escape me. Even with all the lunatic Ravenclaw's in Hogwarts.

* * *

** AN/ TADA!!!!**

**Next Chapter: James's POV**

**( Oh, that's right. I'm not saying ANYTHING! Muahaha.)**

**Love you all!  
**


	24. Bursting the Emotional Bubble

** James's POV**

"----Oi, Potter. Look alive, mate!"With eyes blinking wildly, I raised my head from the table-top and snapped my neck towards the sudden loud noise that invaded my sleep. Feeling something collide with my face at the same time I let out a curse word that mixed with another, more colorful one that didn't belong to my manly-tone.

"Louis, you bloody idiot!" Bitting my lip to keep from shouting and disgracing the Potter name but honoring my Uncle Ron's wonderful self, I watched a brunette glare her blue-eyes at my blonde cousin. A hand on her hip and looking rather upset as my left cheek started throbbing from the impact. "Can't you be courteous you troll? He was sleeping!"

"Oi, I have no time to waste to wait for him to wake up! I've got more important things to do than to carefully walk over and nudge my cousin to wake from his slumber! What am I, a nanny?----" Frowning back at his girlfriend, Louis pulled a chair a few feet away from me and sat down. "And I _am_ bloody courteous! If I wasn't I would have not brought him his homework for the past three days!"

"Would you two keep it down?" I replied, forgetting the pain of the stack of parchment that hit my face as I rubbed my eyes with both my hands. Letting a yawn escape as I tried to stretch, feeling the seat of the metallic chair beneath me scoot a few inches back as I threw my legs forward. "What are you two even doing here?" I asked, my eyes registering all the surroundings with perfect ease. (Thank Merlin I didn't need glasses alike dad. Or else every time I were to wake up I'd go in to panic-mode.)

Sighing, Coral McLaggen flicked her wand towards the door of the Hospital Wing and then walked slowly towards her boyfriend. "We just wanted to see how everything was. We saw Madam Pomfrey stuffing her face at the Great Hall, that we thought it was a perfect opportunity to sneak up here. The ruddy woman is keeping guard outside the corridor. She has a few prefects just wasting their time and making us break rules to come in, like if the Minister was currently getting healed here...." She explained, lowering herself on to my cousins' lap. "Obviously the Minister isn't as important, I heard he is a sodding idiot. Nothing like ol' Kingsley, eh?"

Resisting the urge not to throw up the chocolate frog I stole from the packages some friends had left for the main patient of the Hospital Wing, I smiled dimly at her. Trying to ignore that Louis was running his fingers down her thighs, taking advantage of the situation. (That sick kid.) "Thanks Coral, it means a lot to me....And I know that...Em will be very thankful that you stopped by as well. You know she's fond of you...."

"Well, of course she is." The witch responded, her expression starting to fade into a sort of sympathy. "You and Louis shoved us together, because unfortunately we are with you two thickheads, that we had no choice but to become friends. Possibly the best thing that has happened in our relationships----" She gave a humorless laugh, her eyes moving towards the still figure wrapped around the white sheets of the bed. "I might not be Rose, Nia, or even Lily....but you know that I love her, James. She is such a sweet girl, always has been."

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. "I am well aware of it, McLaggen." Uncrossing my arms from my chest, I slithered my right hand towards the bed. Reaching for the pale, vein-y hand of my girlfriends'. Feeling an even more wretched emotion as I couldn't help but to notice the lack of warmth that her skin always gave me. There was no tingle, no electrical current. There was just a bland sensation, like she wasn't the person I was touching.

"She's going to be fine, mate...." I barely heard Louis mumble; his head poking from the side behind of Coral's shoulder. "Em's a tough wench. After everything that she has been through, you _know_ that she'll make it out of this. It's not even a question, cousin. She's strong as us Weasley's."

"----She tried to kill herself, Louis." I interjected, feeling a bubble of fury start to develop in my chest. "I think it is safe to say she is not as strong as we assumed. She has just been hiding it really well from all of us....From _me_. She's been able to fool me with the batting of her eyes and a phony smile she knew how to make her own.....I never bloody notice that she was breaking at my side. I-I...I failed----"

"Oh, _shut up_, James." Coral snapped, her eyes glaring at me as she stunned me with the venom in her voice. (I was so used to hearing her threaten and scare Louis into a very embarrassing stage, that when she directed it towards me I now knew why Louis would recoil like a HufflePuff. That girl was a ruddy menace when she wanted to be. She would do glorious things as a Weasley-woman.) "If you don't want me to reach over and smack you upside the head with my wand, I suggest you shut it. Do not even start blaming yourself for what happened with Emily. How can it possibly be your fault? You were a constant brilliant boyfriend, always being there for her and protecting her as much as you could. How were you suppose to see this coming? I love Emily, mind you we have settled that, but that doesn't mean that I am going to start pointing fingers for what happened to her. This was her own issue."

"----Before you snap, James, you _know_ Cory's right." I frowned as Louis threw in his little pet-name for his girlfriend. Reminding me in an indirect way that she was a witch and fragile and everyone had their own opinions on the situation already. "We all thought that Emily was still attending her sessions with the Healer from St. Mungos and that she had been making progress. Like you said mate, she knew how to hide it very well. Perhaps....she had been planning this all along."

"Get out---" I hissed, squeezing Emily's hand tighter as that anger-bubble started expanding inside of me. "Get out."

I didn't want to hear this.

I didn't want to hear how Emily was planning to leave my life all along. I couldn't. _She_ couldn't. I refused to believe that.

"We will _not_ leave." Coral challenged, patting my cousins' legs as he attempted to rise from his seat. "Look, Potter, we did _not_ come here to bash Em in any way, believe that. But we are just telling you that there is nothing that you should feel guilty about. You did as much as you could, you tried your ruddy hardest. How were you suppose to know she wanted to end her life? _How_? We know you love her, James. And it's rather beautiful how much you do, but perhaps you should not lock yourself in the Hospital Wing and act like you're the one that was on the brim of death."

The bubble had finally burst-ed, and instead of the outcome of the explosion being a loud hex that would petrify Louis and his girlfriend, it came in a lip quiver and watery eyes.

"Coral, darling----"With a silent _clink, clink, clink, _footsteps were heard on the marbled floor and a redhead woman stood on the opposite side of the hospital bed I currently clutched on to. "Why don't you and Louis go to the grounds. Grab yourselves a bit of fresh air before the Headmistress calls curfew."

"We didn't mean to insult, Aunt Gin..."Louis intercepted, lifting Coral up easily as her face started shinning with guilt and shame. "We just---"

"I know, Louis. I know." Looking calmly at her nephew, mum smiled lightly between him and his girlfriend. "But it's not a good time for you to be around James, alright. I promise that you'll have all night to talk to him when he goes to the common room. Now please---" With her left hand, she motioned them towards the door.

"You do know that I'm not stepping a foot in Gryffindor Tower without Emily, right?" I said to my mother as soon as her brown eyes landed on me and the two intruders had left. "There was no need to get Louis all hyped up, he'll just end up finding my four-poster vacant just like the past week."

"You're so hardheaded at times, James---"Mum sighed, grabbing Louis's chair and dragging it to where she was previously standing. Right across from me, closer to Emily than I had been letting anyone get since she was allowed visitors. "You've been locked up in the Hospital Wing for a week now. At some point Madam Pomfrey or the Headmistress will get tired of you hanging about here like you don't have anything else to do. It's your last year at Hogwarts, son, you have things to do."

"No." I hissed, scowling at her from where I sat. Pulling Emily by the hand closer to me, not wanting my mother to reach forward and touch her. "I do not have anything else to do nor do I care about my last months in Hogwarts. None of it means anything to me if Em isn't alright."

Mum scowled in return, hers ten times more intimidating than what I could pull off. (But then again, she had some thirty years to perfect hers and I had just gotten to practicing mine. Hell, even Lily mastered it like she was the one that invented it. You should see when Grandmum Molly and her get into it. It was a battle of the young and old----beyond frightening.) "James you can not afford to be in here every moment of the day. You've got your final exams coming up in a few weeks, how are you suppose to be prepared if you never leave Emily's side? Darling, I _know_ you love her and I am not saying that is a bad thing, just that you are forgetting that you have priorities. You can't protect her forever-----"

"Is that the same thing you said to yourself when you wanted to help dad?" I spat, frowning even more. "I know the stories, mum. Heard them all. You were willing to leave Hogwarts and your family to go after dad and be with him every moment; because you were scared that one day he wouldn't make it. Granddad told me that they had to restrain you from all of the foolish things Uncle Ron would do for dad. He knew you loved him, but not that you were willing to give it all up for dad. It's the same for me."

"It's different, James."

"----Is it?" I noticed her eyes open slightly. Shocked by my tone and aggressive eyes. I had always been so rebellious in whatever mum wanted from me, it wasn't a surprise to anyone, but once her foot had reached the floor and her wand had been whipped out, I would surrender. I would recoil into that terrified boy scared of his mummy, and would run to my room and wait until I could do something to piss her off again. And throughout all of that, I would never encourage the situation. I knew my limits. And now, I had crossed them. "If you could go back and do it all over again, would you not fight for dad? Would you not go against your parents once again just to have those moments with dad? Even when you know they meant the world to you?"

A few seconds past and we held our stares.

Time ticking as the answer I was looking for was hesitantly coming.

"You're just like your bloody father----" She snapped, and it was her turn to finally surrender. "And like me, I reckon. We never did obey the rules that were thrown at us, especially when it came to love. Merlin knows your father was full of that. Always wanted to be there for those that he gave his life up for....But you're right. I would defy your Grandmum in heartbeat if I were to go back in time."

My mouth turned into a half smile. "Glad you understand." She returned the gesture, her freckly face looking thoughtful. "What's that you've got, mum?" I noticed an envelope in her white hands.

"Ah, yes, well....That's why I came here, James." My mum replied, clearing her throat as her stare went from between the envelope to Emily. "A tough situation came up that McGonagall had me handle....Teddy and I came to finish all legal matters with her."

I raised my eyebrow. "What legal matter? If it's about that pranks that has all the Slytherins in a fit, it wasn't me! Whatever Al says, he is lying! It was Freddie, Parker, and even Frankie! They've turned him into a bloody menace, mum! Neville's been giving us the eye lately, and I've already sworn to him that I was not----"

"Relax, James. It's not about your rule-breaking. Don't think you fool me though---"She interrupted me, giving me a skeptical gaze.

"Then?"

"Professor McGonagall went to talk to Nick Taylor about the current situations. He had been ignoring the owls the Headmistress was sending him, and Harry wanted to be the one to talk to him but the Headmistress reclined; she said it was a Hogwarts matter." Mum said, her voice lowering several levels. "Apparently, Emily's brother isn't so keen about his mail being delivered by owl, so it had to be handled the muggle way. The Headmistress went to explain to him....Emily's situation and well...we really didn't get the reaction we were looking for."

My heart gave a loud thump and I proceeded to squeeze my unconscious girlfriends' hand harder than I should have been able to. "W-What did he say?"

"He...He reckons that Emily should be locked up in St. Mungos."

"----_What_?!"Just like every emotion that comes so easily to us Weasley's, I felt my fury boil beneath my skin and manifest as my chair went flying backwards. (So much for the tears.)"What do you mean he wants Emily to be locked up in St. Mungos?!"

"James, settle down! If Madam Pomfrey comes in here I will not tell you a single word!" Mum hissed, her eyes darting towards the door. "_Sit_!"

"What do you mean?" I retorted, my hands shaking at my sides.

"Nick assumes that it would be the best thing for the girl if she....if she were to be enrolled in St. Mungos. Under careful watch of the Healers. He _would_ have sent her to a...Mental Hospital for the muggles, but with her magic he didn't think it was appropriate to have her be a menace to others. He told McGonagall that he wants her to be sent right away, and until she turns seventeen and the Healers have decided that she is in mental state to leave, then that's when she is allowed to do with her life as she pleases. But for the given moment, He doesn't want a suicidal person in his care."

"He can't be serious! That's----"

"Probably the right thing to do....."My eyes widened as I stared shockingly at my mother, realizing that her lips never moved as I continued to shout. "I _should_ be locked up....It'll be the o-only affective thing...."

Feeling like my heart was going to jump out of my chest and explode in the air, I had to take a deep breath before looking at the pair of emerald eyes that had finally opened. "E-Emily..."

"I-I'm s-so sorry, James----" Emily's pallid expression was starting to turn a nasty shade of yellow as she forced herself to reach for my hand; ignoring the bandages that were wrapped around her wrist. Her beautiful eyes spilled tears thick enough that they ignited mine, both of us trembling as our hands clasped together. "I t-tried, I s-swear I tried. I wanted to....I thought of you...all the time... y-you k-kept me from it..b-but I couldn't anymore. I j-just couldn't."

My left hand moved towards her face, running my fingers from the skin of her forehead to the side of her chin. Letting myself register her, all of her. Erasing the image of the barely, unawakened, girl that I had been watching for the past week. "Shhh. It's okay, love. I promise. Don't say anything...."

"No, James." She continued to sob, breaking my heart. "I made a mistake! We can't ignore that. I need help....I...I can't do it on my own----"

"You've got me!" I murmured through my own tears. "I'll push myself harder, I'll help you, Em. You won't ever be alone, I promise. Em, I've got you. I'll make you better."

"You c-cant!"

"Let me try---" I gripped her hand tighter, pushing myself closer to her. "You can't leave me, Taylor. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard and I've grown up around Weasley's! I will not let you go!"

"There's no choice, James." Emily snaked her hand to mine, the one that was holding on to her face. She wrapped her cold fingers around the edge, pulling it away from her. "N-Nick doesn't want me around...and how am I ever going to face Professor McGonagall now? I've tainted her school....How am I going to look Scorpius, Rose, Al, Liam and Nia in the face? Your family?----How can I let _you_ continue suffering this way? You deserve so _much_ more. More than a girl who will always be dysfunctional."

I shook my head roughly, shoving her hand away and returning mine back to her face. "No. I don't want anyone else. I will never want anyone else...Why can't you see that you won't get rid of me, Taylor? Why?"

"James----"

"I love you, damn it." I growled, frowning at her emerald eyes. "And that's not going to fade away because you push me away, if you have problems to resolve, or you allow yourself to be place in St. Mungo's for years. _I love you_!"

Tears rolled down her cheeks, a light pink hue emerging to her face. "I love you too."

"Don't leave me...."I whispered, placing my forehead onto hers. Breathing in her natural scent that always made me feel right at home.

"I have to...."

"Emily----"My eyes closed, hearing that familiar voice speak again. I had forgotten my mother was in the room, allowing us our moment. "You don't have to go anywhere, darling." Her _clink, clink, clink_ was heard again, this time much closer to us than before. "You should know better than that. How could you ever think that I would let him send you away? I've told you once, told you twice, and loads more....You are family, darling. And we never abandon family."

Unwillingly, I turned to face the redhead. My hands still holding my girlfriend to me as if my entire life depended on it. (Which in same sense, I actually was.) "You're going to St. Mungos? Merlin, mummy. I always reckoned you'd end up in their nutter department, but not _that_ soon."

"I gave birth to an idiot----" I heard her mumble, clearing her throat once again as she leaned down for one of Emily's hand. "Actually, Jamie, the Headmistress and I got Nick Taylor to do something coherent for once. We've got him to resign Emily's custody to us. Consider, Harry and I as your godparents from now on, Emily."

"No...." My American girlfriend and I breathed in unison. Our eyes darting to the envelope my mum was holding proudly.

"Yes---"

"Mummy!" Like in the Quidditch pitch, I moved as fast as possible and darted myself towards the goal. Gripping my mother by the shoulders as her intense red hair slapped and poked my eyes.

Mum patted my back, and I heard Emily let out another sob. This time distinguishing it from the painful one she had given before. "This does not mean you're sharing a room, James Sirius Potter!" Ginny added with a threat, the two of us turning back towards the now glowing patient.

Grinning like my heart and soul had returned to my body, I jumped on to Emily's bed without a care. "----We'll see."

And, oh, we will.

* * *

** AN/ Wooooooooo! Cheers anyone? Oh, come on! Did you actually want me to kill her? Because if you did, I'll go back and murder her good! Lmao. I'm kidding xD. Anyways, turned out alright, eh? I mean, at least she actually admitted she was a bit crazy.**

**Okay, so many have asked why I have made Emily be so....Mary Sue'-ish. Well, easy. Firstly, I wanted to portray a character that reminded me so much of my friend. During the time of Leave Out All The Rest (First story to this sequel, FYI) My friend was going through her suicidal issues. And something you guys DON'T know, I've based my characters on most of the people I know. And I wanted to cause a riot or a tough situation were a Potter boy gets challenged with the emotional instead of the physical. (I left the dirty to Al xP )**

**Hm. Guess that was my only reason. Lol.**

**Next Chapter: Albus's POV! (It's going to be crazy, yo!)**


	25. Ex Girlfriends and Headaches

**Albus's POV**

"----And what is the purpose of such potion, Mister Zabini?"

All eyes turned to the dark Slytherin sitting in the middle section of the dungeon room;watching him sweat and his emerald eyes bulge out at the long-haired, dirty-blond, Professor at the front of the classroom. "Well...erm...correct me if I am wrong, Professor----"Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably as Mai Chang tried with all her might to subdue her laughter. "Isn't the purpose of the potion in the name itself? I doubt it was called Liquid Luck for no apparent reason."

"Of course it's called Liquid Luck, Mister Zabini, but what _exactly_ is the purpose of it?" Professor Alan, still looking like a ruddy git as a few Ravenclaw's laughed at Zabini, kept his bored expression on my fellow house-mate.

"To give you luck...."

"But why?"

"Because...that's what the potion was created for."

"But there was a _purpose_ for the creation, Mister Zabini. Which is it?"

"To give the brewer luck."

"But why?"

"Because that's what the intended purpose was for."

"_Why_?!"

After cracking our necks back and forth, between Zabini and Alan, and trying to contain the fits of laughter that were threatening to explode from everyone in the room as the student and teacher gave it a useless go, I heaved a deep breath and sent sparks in the air with my wand. "---The purpose for Felix Felicis _is_ to give the brewer or the drinker luck!"I interjected as everyone looked up to the red sparks fading in the air. "That is why it was created by that ruddy pathetic loser who couldn't get things to go his way! There is no other purpose, no other meaning. So if you please, next question!"

"Mister Potter---" Alan hissed, turning his pale face towards my direction. Ending whatever moment of humor the Potions classroom had gained with his row with Zabini. "Do you have an uncontrollable tick that you can't contain to keep your mouth shut, or do you just take pride in receiving all the attention in the room?"He straightened his back as his infamous sneer and glare were flashing at me. (Pfft. He is fortunate I don't send him the Malfoy sneer, I didn't have Draco Malfoy over at Godrics Hallow and not learn a few traits from the elder Slytherin.) "The question was directed to your classmate, if you failed to notice."

"No, I did not." I responded, trying to keep my expression as solemn as possible. Trying my hardest not to let a smirk appear on my face as my fellow Slytherin's started to throw me grins of pride and the Ravenclaw's looked momentarily frightened at the sudden tension.(Oh, it was a good day to be a Slytherin.) "But I did fail to notice, sir, that Professor Rickman has lowered his qualifications on who substitutes for him when he is out. It's not the same to have received an Acceptable in the subject you teach now, than having a Troll in Potions. Just because you have earned the title of Professor doesn't mean you can go about teaching subjects you know _nothing_ about."

"Draught of Peace!---"Before Alan can turn as red as the color inscribed on the Gryffindor crest, Gracen Goyle stretched her arm out. Waving it manically in front of the Professor's face as her partner turned around to look at me.

"He started it and you know it..." I muttered with a frown at my best mate, knowing that a complaint was going to be tossed at me. (He has to stop spending so much time with Rose and my Aunt Hermione. I swear to Merlin he acted more like them than Hugo did.)

"---The Draught of Peace is the next potion on the list, sir." Gracen continued, still waving her hand. "This particular potion was created to actually calm any kind of anxiety and was not neccisarily made to stop a war as the name gives."

"Twenty points to Ravenclaw, Miss Goyle, for understanding the main concept of what is a purpose for a potion..." Alan answered, his voice a bit more refrained than it had been since he walked into the dungeon ruining my day. "Mister Malfoy, would you please read the next potion and identify its' purpose?"He turned to the person sitting next to Gracen.

Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I looked down at the potion book opened in front of me. "Amortentia...."Malfoy read, his voice coming out quite difficult as the Professor encouraged him to go on. "It's also known as 'love potion' and it gives the drinker a powerful obsession and infatuation with the consumer of the potion. It is usually either forced upon someone or covertly given. Its effects grow stronger the longer it awaits consumption...."

"That is what the potion does, Mister Malfoy,but in your own terms now define it. Not straight from the book, I am sure you Slytherin's know how to read, no need to prove it."Alan hissed, his attitude coming out again.

From the way I was seated on the bench, I could see Scorpius's pale face turn scarlet as his eyes shone with frustration. "---It means that the purpose for this potion was to give the brewer someone who he couldn't have from the beginning."

"Thomas, the next potion if you wish---"

"Excuse me, sir?"Silently and a bit nervously, a white arm was shot in the air before Lorcan Thomas could even open his ruddy mouth. "Do you think I could be excused, I'm not feeling so well."

"Of course, Miss Mulciber----"Alan bowed a bit,in a very uncharacteristically manner. "Right after you read and define the next potion correctly." He sneered at the witch seated on the furthest desk from where he stood.

"Draught of Living Death."Madison snapped, causing Malfoy to tense his back as he heard the Ravenclaw's voice ring around the classroom. "It's a potion that will place the drinker in such a deep sleep that they appear to be dead, hence the name. It is made from powdered root of asphodel, which is added to an infusion of wormwood.----Basically, Professor Alan, the purpose of this potion was to give the brewer access to catch the desired victim without causing much suspicion. It was used commonly among wizards who decided to torture their victims primarily before murdering them."

"Another twenty points to Ravenclaw." Alan smiled. "You may go, Miss Mulciber." He turned away from the dirty-blonde witch, and turned to the board in front of the classroom. Ignoring the loud banging of books going on in the back, which was quickly followed by the loud sound of the door being closed. "You have twenty minutes to get into pairs and write three common facts of why these potions are the most popular among our community. "

"Gracen!" From across the room, Lucas threw a crumbled piece of parchment to the desk in front of me. "Pair up with Mai! Roxanne will butcher me to bits if she knows I was sharing my quill with my ex!"

"Sorry Scorpius---" The pretty witch said to my best mate, grabbing her schoolbag and smacking me beside the head as she went to the middle of the classroom.

"Don't give me that look, _Rose_." I scoffed at the blonde Slytherin, folding my arms across my chest as he turned on the bench to face me. "Alan has always been a bloody git with me and you know it. It's the beauty of our relationship. He acts like Merlin, and I remind him that he is just another cheap imitation of a Squib."

"I'm not worried about that, Potter---" Malfoy rolled his grey eyes, waving the subject away. "I've been meaning to tell you something for the past week, but I haven't gotten around to it because every time I try----"

_ Bang_.

"This happens...."Malfoy mumbled.

"----There are six famous potions on that main list. I'm thinking that you do all of it and I'll just watch." Tossing a potion book on my desk, silencing the conversation Scorpius and I were having, Ophelia De la Cruz grinned smugly at me as she took the open seat next to me. Flipping her black, feathered hair away from her face and exposing those brown eyes that fascinated me every moment I was with her. "Deal?"

"De la Cruz...."

"Scorpius, _hola_." Ophelia responded to my mates' indifferent greeting just the same way. "_Como has estado_? _Bien, que bueno_."

"We were sort of having a rather private conversation,Ophelia."Scorpius continued, glaring slightly at the witch next to me. Ruining the magical feel that my chest was giving as I smelled her florescent scent reach my nostrils. Reminding me that I was intrigued by every bit of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry----"Ophelia threw our fellow Slytherin a soft smile and a sympathetic gaze. "But your conversation seemed over to me when Alan ordered Albus out."

"What are you on about----"

"Professor!" Silencing my first sentence to her since she arrived, Ophelia let out a painful groan. "I'm...I'm not feeling so head is starting to hurt from all the studying I did the night before for your lesson the next hour..and Potter refuses to assist with the assignment. May I be excused to the Hospital Wing?"

_What the effin Dumledore?_

"Potter----"Growling at me, the Professor tossed a bottle of ink at my direction. Giving it the right amount of time and visual as I ducked and heard it crash behind me. Making a few Ravenclaw girls shriek. "Was the assignment really that difficult to understand? Were you not taught how to write simple facts on a sheet of parchment your first year or were you raised by trolls?"

"I wasn't----"

"Don't want to hear it, Potter. Save your excuses for someone who _actually_ wants to hear it. You will take your classmate to Madam Pomfrey and return to do the assignment. Even if the capacity of your brain doesn't allow it."

Subduing the 'Oh, I get it now' that wanted to escape my lips, I gathered my belongings and gave Scorpius an apologetic smirk as I walked hurriedly to the end of the dungeon where Ophelia was exiting from.

"Wouldn't it had been better to inform me of your little plan, Ophelia?" I laughed, trailing behind her rapid footsteps down the corridor. "You know how much I loath to bite back the retorts I have towards Alan."

"Alan is an idiot, Albus. We all know it, no need to prove it." Ophelia giggled along with me, stopping as she let her bag slither from her shoulder and on to the marbled floor. "Besides, if he wasn't he would have _never_ allowed you to leave the lesson with me. Let's just thank that he was probably raised by a pack of trolls."

"Well I certainly fancy that---"I grinned, reaching her and throwing my arms around her waist. Pulling her close to me as I let her brown eyes wash all over my emerald ones. "Having a girl who is so willing to escape and insult a Professor's intelligence just to be with me..."

"And to get out of that pathetic class, Albus." She chirped in, her eyes narrowing a bit as I placed my forehead on hers. "But I suppose being with you is a perk."

"_Mala_..."I chuckled, repeating the Spanish word I had learned to throw at her.

"Always----" She winked and pressed her lips on to mine.

In a rush of heat and passion, I gripped her tightly and jabbed her body closer to mine. My actions were a simple mirror of her own; except with less urgency. She ran her hands through my hair and pulled on the roots, giving a strange since of tingle to crawl up my spine. The fingers on her left hand raced their way up my chest and she traced a line back and forth as she smirked into my mouth and pushed me backwards.

On to the hidden staircase behind a corridor wall.

At this point I really wasn't breaking any rules, was I? Mum had told me not to go hiding in broomstick closets with Nia Harper,and I wasn't. I was hiding behind a _wall_ with _Ophelia De la Cru_z biting hard into my neck as I pushed everyone else's face from my the new Slytherin witch was around, I couldn't help but to feel like nothing else existed. Just us and the poking feeling of guilt that wasn't quite characteristic of a true Slytherin in this situation.

"_Ehem_---"

Scratch that.

Apparently it was us _and_ whoever was standing behind Ophelia's mess of a hair.

"Well...isn't this amazingly ironic?" Removing my mouth from the Slytherin on top of me, I moved my head to the side to get a full view of that wretched voice. One that I would have never wanted to find me in this compromising manner. "Here I thought that Albus Severus Potter was completely and irrevocably in love with a certain Gryffindor..."

"Evanna..."I breathed, watching from the corner of my eye as Ophelia rolled her eyes as her face twisted in anger. "Pleasure seeing you, missed you during lesson."

"Well, not that we are enemies or anything Potter, but isn't it quite strange that you were looking for me?" A tall brunette blinked her eyes in an over-the-top surprised manner. Her bright eyes staring mockingly at me as Ophelia jumped off of me and threw herself on the step next to me. "Or better yet, did you expect to find me behind her throat?"

"It really isn't how it looks like, Nott."

"Apparently."She snorted, sighing dramatically as she rolled the sleeves of her robes up. "I was up in Ravenclaw Tower trying to find Olivia but instead found her little brother, Andre, and your cousin Hugo emerged in piles of old parchment and books. They looked quite uncomfortable if you ask me....Neither of them had seen Olivia. Which is strange...she has been disappearing quite a lot..._Anyway---_". She interjected on herself, shaking her head from her previous thoughts of the Boot siblings. "I didn't quite ever expect to find you...so tangled up in such a mess,Potter. Always the charming lad, what happened? Nia not taking care of you?"

"---Could you please do us the favor and leave?" The Slytherin witch next to me snapped. "We were in the middle of something and you so rudely interrupted."

Evanna smirked. "Oh, she has definitely not been taking care of you." Her smug expression intensified as she pointed a finger from Ophelia and I. "Pity, Albus. I was just starting to think that you and Harper really did have the potential to be life long sweethearts. Terribly mistaken, I see. Although...as bizarre as this might sound...I was starting to get over the resentment I had towards her...now it just turned to sympathy and gratitude."

"Nott----"

"I am thankful to Merlin that she took you away, never would have imagined that you could do such a low thing. But then again, that _is_ how you ended up with Harper in the first place, isn't it? So I guess there still is a bit of resentment...but then it just washes away because she is actually _in_ _love with you_ and...you? You're surely not in love with her."

"You're not...You're not going to say anything right, Evanna?" I asked, trying to control the bubble of fury that was blowing up inside me. "You won't tell Nia about this?"

"Al...come on. It's _me_, Evanna." The brunette Ravenclaw smiled softly, looking at me with masked eyes. "Do you honestly think I would do such a thing to you? Betray your trust like that? Like you did to me? _Never_!"

I frowned. "Evanna."I spat, trying not to let out a curse word as she laughed lightly. "I'm serious."

"I'm serious too, Al----" She let her laughter die and she crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not going to say anything to Harper about what I saw....not that I don't want to. You deserve every bit of it for what you did to me...but believe it or not, I've grown past that."

My eyes narrowed and I suppressed a scoff.

"---She deserves to know by _you_, not by me."

I sighed, feeling the tingle crawl up my spine again. That undefined sensation that had been invading my body every time I would meet up with Ophelia for the past week, shouting at the side of my hear as I attempted to hush it away. "Thanks...."

"_Don't_." My ex girlfriend shook her head, her bright eyes staring at me with a look of disgust. "But just remember you owe me one, Potter."

"_Adios_, Evanna." Ophelia waved boredly, her expression not as irritated anymore as she zoned back into the present. "_Gracias por todo_."

I inhaled, shaking my head. "Bloody hell...."

"Oh, don't get so worked up, Albus. I really doubt she will say anything...She's too much of a good person for that." The Slytherin witch commented, pulling her elbows back on the step and leaning back.

"Exactly----" I groaned. "Behind all her hard exterior, Evanna Nott has always been a good person. It's in her bloody system..."

"Let me rephrase, Al. Nott will not say anything because she will not be able to handle the guilt when she sees your girlfriends' face crumble when she tells her what she saw. She rather live with the guilt of knowing than the guilt of having to be the one to tear Nia's world apart."

That tingle, the unknown one, seemed to stab my insides as Ophelia finished her last word. Something in me seemed to stir as she called my girlfriend by her name; sounding so careless and unconcerned for the blonde Gryffindor. "Perhaps we _should_ be more careful next time...Who knows who'll find us."

Ophelia scoffed. "What's the point of our escapades if we do everything with care? Besides, half of Slytherin house is already aware. Or do you think that they have not notice my midnight trips to your dormitory and Malfoy sleeping in the common room?"

"Right, I forgot about that...." I placed my fingers to my face and rubbed my temples. (I was developing a massive headache now. Who knew that living such a Slytherin life could be _this_ stressing?) "We'll work on it, I've got to go."

"_A donde_?"

I reached for my schoolbag as the dark-haired witch looked partially curious as I handed her hers and I slipped mine over my shoulder. "I've got to go back to the Potions. I need to finish the ruddy assignment for today, I've got to be at dinner tonight."

I extended my hand to her for assistance, waiting until she was completely off the steps and standing on her feet. "Thought you were going to skip the whole thing? I doubt Alan will make you stay that long, he'll miss the opportunity to bash you during Defense. Or what, you like that elf-made food _that_ much?" She laughed mockingly, fixing her hair.

"No, I've got something to take care of. And it's...important."I responded.

"_Como quieras. Yo me voy_." Her brown eyes looking an uninterested in continuing on the conversation, she leaned and gave me a quick peck. "See you at night." She said in a light tone, hurrying up the steps of the corridor and disappearing from my sight.

"Argh, I want my mummy...."I grunted, rubbing my temples once more as I turned the steps. Closing my eyes as I tried to push the feeling of pressure on the sides of my forehead. "Or my grandmummy...."

"----Or some shame."

My eyes opened in an instant;meeting with a pair of bright eyes.

"A conscience perhaps?"

The pressure inside my head doubled and lurched all inside. "Ah..."

"Really, Al?" At the mention of my name escaping their lips, the pair of blue eyes staring at me suddenly blurred by a wave of tears. "Half of the Slytherins already know? _Half_?"

"Nia---"

"Well, if you didn't have some sense of sympathy on _me_ you must have at least been able to have it for Malfoy. I mean, you had the bloke sleeping on those uncomfortable couches for so long."

"Nia----"

"And Nott? _Wow_. Can't you believe she is actually starting to like me? Wonder if she fancies a friendship now. "The blonde standing a few inches from me raised her shoulders up and shrugged them, a teary smile on her pale face. "I would have never known that if it wasn't for you and Ophelia. You made me feel _loads_ better, Al. I don't have to go about feeling terrible for what happened with her now....because apparently she's grateful for it. We can go ahead and skip our plans tonight, I think I rather go bond with Evanna!"

"Look, Nia----"

"No, _you_ look, Albus." The Gryffindor snapped, her tears finally racing down her cheeks as she stopped trying to hold them in. Her usual bright expression breaking in front of me, causing that tingle to electrify its' way back into my body. "Really stop and take a look....What do you see?"

I took a step forward. "Nia---"

"_Look at me_, Albus! What do you see?!" She shouted, her arms trembling at her side.

"Nia..."

"Here, let me help you, love---" She sniffed, her blue eyes shinning with hurt. "Can you see the tears wetting my face like a ruddy little witch with her knickers in a twist? Can you see the pain embracing all of me like your Grandmum Molly does whenever you show up for the holidays?Can you see my broken heart and faith I had in you, like the pieces of objects James likes to blow up at random times?"

My lips pressed into a tight line.

Nothing was coming out.

Nothing was trying to come out now.

"Clearly not, eh? You obviously can not see a thing..._If_ you had...you would have seen me about to enter the Potions room as you exited it....You would have seen me follow you...You would have seen me trying to figure out what my boyfriend was doing as he practically sucked the face off his fellow Slytherin...."

The pressure was growing, my heart was racing, my blood was thickening, my insides were burning, my eyes were growing wet without my knowledge, my mind was screaming, that undefined tingle was stabbing its' way around my system, and yet..._nothing_ came out.

I stared at her with unfocused eyes. With a blank expression. Like nothing was going on inside of me when in reality----inside I was turning into a pile of mush.

"Take your time on your Potions assignment, Al----"Nia interjected, breaking the silent disaster that was forming in front of her. "You've got nowhere to be now, but don't take _too_ long. I'm sure Ophelia De la Cruz wouldn't want to wait in the Slytherin Common Room for too long...My, she looks so impatient and needy when she's with you. I can't imagine how she is without you...."

I watched her reach into her robe pocket as she walked towards me, her tears still spilling down her rosy cheeks as her blonde hair swept behind her with every step. "Here----"Knowing that I wasn't about to move, Nia shoved a muggle envelope into my robe. Giving me a glimpse of my name scribbled with perfect handwriting on its' way in. "I had your mother owl it to me...I told her it was important and that I wanted it to be unique...something not so typical...."Every word that left her perfect mouth cracked on its' way out to the air.

Without being able to handle her broken stare for too long, I dropped my eyes to where her hands slithered out. Feeling like the weight of the envelope was too heavy for its' normality and was about to tip me over.

"I love you, Al. Happy Anniversary....."

My eyes snapped back up and she was gone.

I was standing by myself, with the disappointed faces of my two ex girlfriend's emerging into my head.


	26. Finidng the Truth About Flobberworms

** Liam's POV**

"Alright, so before you lot stroll out of here and forget everything that I have taught you throughout this entire lesson, and from your Second Year, please repeat the most important rhyme of the day----"Staring towards the class of mixed sixth year Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins , Professor Longbottom smiled warmly at his students.

"Devil Snare, Devil Snare, is deadly fun but will soak in the sun." We all repeated, some with more enthusiasm than what was considered normal for a subject so late into the term.

"Brilliant." The Herbology teacher grinned widely. "If there is anything more that gives me pride in what I do, it's knowing that my students are capable of remembering an important fact I taught them four years ago. Your generation is really going places."

"Honestly, Professor, I don't think it's the need to remember it that makes it stick in our heads----"Lysander Thomas spoke from his place in the back of Greenhouse Six, smiling with a cheeky expression as Alice Longbottom giggled softly by his side, their house colors clashing among each other. "Some of us just choose not to be as thick as some of my fellow Gryffindors and run for cover when a Slytherin decides to stick a bewitched tree branch into our school bags."

Laughter exploded inside of the greenhouse among all the students, everyone turning their eyes from the blonde Gryffindor and on to the one that was spinning amusedly and quite entertained on a stool a few feet back from where the teacher stood.

"_Oi_---" James Potter stopped in mid spin, his frowning eyes landing on the younger Gryffindor.

"Settle down, settle down." Professor Longbottom chuckled lightly, sending a calming stare towards the red-faced Potter before he could even think about whipping out his wand. "That is why todays' review was important. To prevent pranks of others getting out hand, right?"Alice giggled loudly once more, dropping her head on her once-again boyfriends' shoulder. "Alright, no more laughing at the expense of my assistant. Remember he has the power to fail all of you, he is the one who puts in your mark and submits it to the Headmistress----"

"Consider yourself a troll, Thomas." James snapped, his anger still not residing as some of the Slytherins continue to laugh at the prank their house-mates had pulled on him a few months back. "With a capital _T_."

"I told Neville this was going to be a terrible idea---"Rose whispered, leaning in to the middle of the table so everyone seated around her could hear . "He had visited before the holidays ended before our return to Hogwarts, and he had mentioned to mum that he was thinking of making James his assistant...Brilliant professor, idiot of a man."

"Oh, come off it, Rosie. James is doing a wicked job!"Lucas interjected with a serious tone of defense. "He's been helping all of us with some of these ruddy plants without complaining or attempting to take revenge on any of us for what the other Slytherins did to him."

"_You_ come off it, Zabini---"My cousin snorted, obviously sounding like he was already agreeing with what his girlfriend had said. "You know you're just thanking Merlin every night that Potter was assigned as the Professors' assistant. You're a complete dimwit in this subject and you need all the help you can get."

"But at what price?" I chirped in, laughing along with the rest of the students as James attempted to fly out of his stool and launch himself towards Thomas.

"He has to refrain himself from being around Roxanne until the year ends." Scorpius smirked, looking smug as Lucas's expression turned miserable. "Freddie gave Potter a set of rules, and that is to keep Zabini as far away from his little sister until he no longer has to witness it."

"_Humph_---"Zabini scoffed dimly, his eyes turning bitter. "What blokes do for love, eh?"

_Bang._

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Rose jumped an inch up in her seat as I turned to my left and watched the silent blonde sitting next to me finally show some movement. "You know you're agreeing to this because you can not afford to fail Herbology and don't want to hear daddy and mummy go on and on about how you've disappointed them. You rather play James's dog until the term is complete than spend your summer holiday locked up in your room while the rest of your mates are out enjoying the sunlight and their sodding witches."

"....Why do you have to say it like _that_?" Lucas muttered awkwardly towards Nia, clearing his throat as her blue eyes ignited with anger. "It sounds so..._bad_ and less romantic that way. Why can't you just let me be, Harper? It makes me sleep better at night when I know I couldn't snog my Roxy as much as I wanted to because I was saving our love;not because my mummy won't let me take that holiday to Bulgaria that my soon-to-be father-in-law invited me to!"

"Because blokes are pigs, that's way." Nia snapped, her neck cracking towards Rose in an instant as Zabini looked momentarily shocked on her choice of words. "Be careful, Rose. One day Malfoy has his arm wrapped around your shoulders, acting like he wants to hold you every moment of the day and the next he is out and about, ready to strike that dagger into your heart without even a warning----"

"Harper----"

"I didn't have a reason to hate you before when I tried my hardest to, Malfoy, but if you even direct one word to me, I swear to Merlin I will make you regret it." My best friend hissed, those eyes of hers now sparkling with tears as she looked at the couple in front of her.

"What's going on?" I questioned after a moment of thick silence. "Nia?"I nudged the blonde, exchanging a skeptical look with Rose as my cousin lowered his head in what seemed like shame and tears raced down Nia's cheeks. "What the bloody hell is going on? You've been rather odd all day, and yesterday evening as well. I reckon you would be in an excellent mood seeing as yesterday was your anniversary with----"

"Albus, good morning. Pleasure seeing you today."Beating me to the plunge, Professor Longbottom stopped his lecture with the older Potter sibling and directed his view to the middle child. Smiling widely at the blank-looking Slytherin that had just entered his greenhouse. "Had a good night sleep, eh?"

"Sorry Professor, I lost track of time."Al replied in a husky voice, running a hand through his messy dark hair.

"Seems like you all did---"The Professor said, pointing a finger at the half-empty Slytherin table. "I'm missing the De la Cruz's."

"For Merlin's sake---"After a deep intake of breath that came from Nia, Evanna Nott jumped from her seat in back of us. Snaking her arm through one of Nia's and pulling her up, a gesture so uncommon for both of them that it took me a second to react. "Take a deep breath, Harper, and less dramatically if you will."

"I-I..."

_Ding. Ding. Ding._

"Dismissed! Don't forget to review your notes, we've got an exam in two days!" Professor Longbottom spoke loudly as all the students jumped out of their seats and quickly exited the greenhouse.

"Saved by the bell, Harper---"Evanna said casually, her arm still linked around Nia's. "Oi, Malfoy. Mind taking her stuff with you, the least you can do don't you think? I'll take it from here."

Raising my eyebrow high, I sent a deep frown at my blonde cousin. "What the hell is going on, Scorpius?"

"Nothing Liam...."He sighed, picking up Nia's schoolbag without a second thought. (Who knew Slytherins took orders so easily?) "You lot will find out in time, and that time isn't now...So don't even ask..."He shifted his eyes from me and towards Rose as she also looked irritated at his lack of responses. "Let's just go...we need to be alone for a bit, love."

"---Easy there, Greengrass." As I let an extreme confused expression seep onto my face, I felt a light touch of words grace my ear as a warm palm was placed behind my back. "You'll end up looking like a flobberworm on a bad day if you overload yourself."

"Rather easy for _you_ to say that, eh, Gracen?" I mumbled to the Ravenclaw, lifting myself up from the chair to stretch out my legs. Looking at her with less concentrated eyes as she pulled herself up to the glass table and sat herself there, oblivious to the fact that everyone seemed to have left the greenhouse. (The Professor in tow; no doubt following his daughter now that she was back on with Lysander.) "You always seem so carefree."

Letting out a chiming giggle and a dazzling smile, Gracen Goyle swung her legs in a swift manner. "Meaning what, Greengrass? That I'm always under the Cheering Charm or just a bit mentally-retarded?"

A small smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. "No. What I meant is that every time I see you, since the moment I met you last year, you've always had a smile on your face. Regardless of the terrible things going on around you, you always have that beautiful smile on your face that illuminates you. You're just...you're filled with this light that at times is so captivating that makes me wonder...do you sneak a bottle of Fire Whiskey into your dormitory every once in a while?"

Laughing lightly, like the chorus of bells, Gracen shook her dark hair at me. Her white skin glowing as she did and sun rays peered into the greenhouse. Really illuminating all of her as she slapped a hand over her mouth and button-like nose. "So now I act like I'm an alcoholic? Great, Liam."

"At times---"My smile stretched, and I felt my heart give a soft flutter as she reached for my arms and held on to them gently. "Do I really look like a flobberworm when I'm confused?" I asked, cursing inside as it slipped it before I could hold it in. (Can't be blamed, can I? A girl like Gracen Goyle deserves to be standing alone in a classroom with a Greek God or someone who does not get so nervous in front of a witch.)

Her blue eyes pierced my brown ones in a millisecond. "Do you really think that I have a beautiful smile?"

Three seconds passed by as I noticed that she was still waiting for her reply; I had been momentarily lost in her gaze. Focused on how gentle and serene she appeared when she was perfectly still. "Beautiful might not really be the term...perhaps _radiant_. Or gorgeous, comes to mind."

"You have quite the swagger, eh, Liam?" She whispered with a giggle, her pale cheeks flushing with a light pink hue. "We better get going, Professor Longbottom will be completely oblivious that he left us in here and Filch will take that moment to strike----"She said quickly once our gazes remained locked for too long.

I cleared my throat, pushing myself a few spaces away from her. "You're right, and I personally believe Filch still has grudges against me for almost drowning his cat years back."

"_That was you_?!" Gracen exclaimed, her face illuminating itself once more as she started laughing loudly this time. Barely being able to hold on to her schoolbag that I handed her from the table behind me. "Everyone in Ravenclaw Tower was wondering their heads off of who it was! Some of us wagered our sickles that it was Louis or James!"

"Nah---"I shrugged, shaking my head carelessly and somewhat smugly as we walked out of the greenhouse. Emerging out to the thick green garden that decorated the outside. Smelling the florescent, colorful flowers that were planted every other bush. Giving the place a strong sense of color and peace. "None of them ever dared to touch Mrs. Norris, so the idiots had me do it. And when I did...let's just say they only come to me when they need a severe prank completed."

"Oh, big shot now, huh?" Gracen laughed mockingly, staring up towards me as we met up with a group of redheads standing around one person.

"----It is not real!"

"It is!"

"You were hit by a snitch, and you know it!"

"No way in bloody hell! _Look at that_! It is completely real!"

"It's a fake! No way in the Dark Lords' hell are you capable of getting one!"

"Am too!"

"_Pfft_."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

_Smack._

"What are they on about?" The Ravenclaw and I approached the group of Gryffindors and one Slytherin, our attentions focusing on Freddie and Louis Weasley as the blonde cousin rubbed his head from the hit he had just received from the redhead.

"Freddie claims he has gotten----"

"It's _real_, I'm telling you! How can it be fake?!" Freddie shouted, interrupting his sister, who had her hand intertwined with Zabini, in mid sentence.

"Oh come off it, Fred! You know it's a new magical substance from Uncle George's new line of toys!" Louis snapped, growing irritated as he pushed his blonde hair away from his face. "We've been sending owls back and forth discussing the new products! He mentioned that he wanted to start a new line for teenage boys! I just never knew that _you'd _be pathetic enough to try them on!"

"I didn't try anything, git! It's the real thing!" Freddie hissed.

"What is?" I asked loudly, intrigued as Roxanne grimaced at the thought of it and James rolled his eyes.

Smirking at the interest that I had, Freddie pushed his cousin back a few steps. "Check it out, mate." He pulled his neck-long red hair towards the back of his right ear and leaned forward. Exposing his neck to me and Gracen."Wickedly accurate, eh?" He grinned, pointing at the red blotch that formed on the skin of his neck. Smiling with pride like the small teeth marks and the clogged blood was something so extraordinary it was worth parading about.

"That's it?" Lucy snorted, who no doubt was here as well, rolled her eyes as she gave her cousin a flick on his bruising bite-mark. "Is a hickey really worth flashing, Freddie? It looks completely gross. Like you managed to escape from a vampire before he actually sucked your life away."

"You would know right, Miss Prude?----"Freddie glared, letting his hair fall back to it's place as Gracen let out a snort and tried to control a laughing-fit. "You couldn't be able to tell the difference of a real snog or a passionate mark from the sloppy tongue-action you get from the Hippogriff's at that magical zoo we visited when we you were ten."

Lucy's nostrils flared with anger and her brown eyes lit up with an undefined emotion as Louis chuckled silently in the background and Roxanne elbowed her brother in the ribs. (Typical signals of the Weasley-Women fury.) "Just because, Fredrick, I keep my personal life hidden from the rest of the world, it doesn't make me a prude. I can refrain myself from flashing whatever a mate gives me without having the urge to prove myself to everyone around me; to show them that I'm not a pathetic loser. Unlike _you_, I know who I am and I don't need to prove to anyone that I _can_ get snogged. And believe me----"She took a step closer to him, shoving him an inch back as a group approached us. "Little Miss Prude can snog _fantastically_, I've never had complaints of my talents."

"Flashing that mark again, Weasley?" Ursula Bulstrode, a Seventh Year Slytherin that I recognized from the group of girls that had walked up to the show Freddie was giving, smirked darkly at the redhead Gryffindor. "We would assume you would grow tired of it since you would go on and on about it during Care of Magical Creatures. Apparently the facial expressions of 'who-gives-a-flying-Merlin' didn't register in your head. But, all of you are all the same, eh? I reckon it runs in the family."

The girls behind Ursula chortled with maleficent expressions as everyone exchanged looks. "What's that Ursula? Haven't been snogged yet and you need to rain down on those who have shared a kiss or two? Just because it was your cousin, Bulstrode, it doesn't really count. But then again...you're going to end up married to him, eh? All of you perfect Purebloods keep it in the family huh?"

"Thank Merlin we're blood traitors, eh, mate?"James nudged Freddie, the three Seventh Year Gryffindors smirking back at the witches in front of them.

"How's your little sister nowadays, Potter----"Ursula hissed, her face turning beet red as my attention narrowed at who she mentioned. "Doing alright? You know, out of your filthy lot I always hated her the less. Little Lily Potter just seemed to have Slytherin material in her, not more than Albus of course, Salazar knows that that boy reached new levels than what all of us ever imagined."

"Shove off, Bulstrode, and take your wenches along with you---"James glared, his voice no longer mocking as the conversation turned about his siblings. "Go and pollute someone else day, or better yet, go fornicate with your cousin and keep making your legacy grow---"

"Funny you mentioned fornicating and extending legacies, Potter."Ursula stepped up, ignoring the frowns spreading around the Weasley's. "How do you feel about being related to the De la Cruz's? Add more fame to your already well-known family? I mean, your father is the savior of our world, and now you get to be related to the Minister of Magic!---Don't know what I'm talking about?"Her eyebrows knitted together, putting on a well-played puzzled expression. "Pity..."

"Look Ursula, perfect displaying!" One of the girls, the only blonde led by Bulstrode, pointed a finger out. Directing it towards the entrance of the Herbology section of the grounds of Hogwarts.

Slowly, fearing what I was about to see, I turned my head to my right. My eyes scanning the grass at first and then...and then _them_.

Lily and Octavio De la Cruz.

Both of them walking towards the deeper end of the garden, smiles plastered on their faces as the new Slytherin had an arm wrapped around Lily's waist. Keeping her close to him.

"Word around the our Common Room---"Ursula spoke again, getting everyone's attention as my stare was still focused on that fiery redhead that I loved so much. "Is that your little Lily isn't as pure as she was a week ago. She's been spending quite the time hanging about with Octavio, both of them looking all flushed and knotty when they reappear."

"Maybe your sister, Louis, won't be the only one popping a baby this year---"The blonde girl commented again, laughing along with her pack of ugly friends.

Feeling like my heart was about to burst; not being able to contain that stabbing emotion that was poking up at my chest trying to escape, I turned on my heels. I started walking away from them, hearing their laughter increase and the silence of the Weasley's and James remain perfectly strong as my insides started screaming out.

Bitting my lip roughly, keeping all the curses and shouts I wanted to let seep out as I heard Lily's laughter from the distance she had on me, I focused on the grass I was walking on. Not wanting to see anything; not wanting to see them.

"I guess it's my turn to answer---"Warm fingers grabbed my left wrist, pulling me from the speed I had as I stomped away, enough that my steps matched theirs. "You can simply _not_ be compared to a flobberworm, Liam." Gracen Goyle lowered her fingers and pressed them inside of my palm, stretching out the fist that I had formed. "I think your face is the most dazzling I have seen among the blokes here."

Our fingers linked together, the flutter in my blood overpowering the sudden fury I had felt a moment ago.

* * *

** AN/ "Becky what's developing here?"----A crush perhaps?!**

** Lol. Well I dont know yet...but yeah. Here you guys go, another chapter. **

**Next Chapter: Dominique's POV!**

**P.S. I know since some of you are going to ask, I promise that the next chapter, the one after Dom's WILL be about Rose and Scorpius!:D**


	27. Dominique: The Watery Wreck

** Dominique's POV**

"Write this down Carmen---"Opening my eyes, after the emerald flames of the Floo Network spat me out like a cheap-round ash, I stood behind a tall man surrounded by a tiny brunette witch with a note-pad almost shoved up her nose as I dusted myself off. "After new and selected rumors have gone abroad of a possible undercover war brewing---You've got that so far?"

"Yes, sir, got it." Carmen, apparently, nodded her head vigorously as her brown curls flopped all around and escaped that mess of a hair-bun, she looked up at the tall man with the tip of her quill pressed on the parchment she was holding up. "C-Carry on, sir."

"The Ministry of Magic has been targeted by the _Daily Prophet_ as the apparent source behind the lack of details to the people. The press for the Prophet has barged into the Ministry Headquarters at random times, and completely barbarically, to assault any head of department to try and find the truth behind the rumors."

I raised my eyebrow as the man took a pause and his secretary, or the easily-jittery lunatic, took in a ragged breath as she found she was under pressure to hurry and write the mans' words. "I-I've got it now, sir."

"---Honestly Carmen, can't you write this on your own?You know what is being said and what the Ministry needs to say. Do I really need to give word for word?" The man sighed.

"Sorry s-sir, but that Rita Skeeter has been saying quite the scandal about the Ministry and the people of our community want to know what is going on from the people inside the Ministry itself...w-we just can't simply ignore the demand or the fact t-that Rita Skeeter is spreading venom about u-us. "

"_Pffft_---"I snorted before I could contain myself, making the two turn around and stare at me. "Isn't Rita Skeeter about two-hundred years-old now? Simply file the crazy wench mentally incompetent or desperate to relive her glory days and you'll have the people taking more tours of the Ministry by sundown."

The tall man turned first; his almost golden-eyes penetrated me like a rapid paper-cut I tend to get when Molly sends me her crazed folded muggle-letters. His pale face remained still for about a second, then swiftly turned into an expression of curiosity as he studied my face. (Which was, in no doubt, scrunched up in a look of annoyance and embarrassment.) He cleared his throat, which gave out a strong husky tone, and he ran a hand through his tip-of-the-neck long black hair. "Hello---"

"You're not suppose to be here, girl---"Carmen interrupted the handsome man before I could try and figure out where his accent was from and frowned at me as she held her quill an inch above her note-pad. "This is private headquarters, and visitors are not allowed here."

I frowned back, narrowing my eyes at the crazy-haired woman. "Look lady---"

"No, no. It's quite alright. The Ministry is opened to the people after all."The man interjected before my reply to the secretary could come out and make her regret getting out of bed today. "We welcome all of the guest with gratitude and hospitality, Carmen. Remember that. Kingsley would have never allowed such rudeness in you and neither shall I----"The man extended his hand out and smiled lightly at me. A glow radiating onto his face that spread from his brown eyes to his chin. "Pardon her, Miss....?"

Trying hard to not blush, mainly because it wasn't in my nature to even if the bloke was handsome as hell and the stubble beard on his chin made him look extra sexy. (Oh, yeah. I said sexy!) I extended my hand out after a couple of seconds, pushing the flush back down before it could crawl up my face and betray me. "Sorry, Mister, but I don't talk to strangers." I smirked deeply, trying to get the man to go back to intimidating his secretary as I made my way. (Hell yeah, I kept it cool as it can possibly get. I wasn't a certified smooth-talker for nothing. _Right_?)

"Amusing, but quite true---"He threw at me with a copy of my smirk, still holding on to my hand as Carmen fumed in the background. Her glare stabbing me through the gap the tall man did not cover. "Excuse my manners, then. I'm Emilio---"He bowed his head lightly. "Emilio De la Cruz, at your service. And you are....?"

(_---Momentarily in shock!_)

What the bloody Helga Hufflepuff?!

"You're the Minister...."I exhaled, my eyes opening with the surprise that had just hit me as the man still held onto my sweaty hand. "The Minister of Magic..."

"So, I've been told---"Emilio De la Cruz chuckled.

"Close your mouth child, you're starting to slobber."Carmen the secretary said from the back, taking a few steps to her right and emerging to the side of the Minister. (_Touche_.) "Mister De la Cruz has been Minister for the past eight months, surely you have opened the _Daily Prophet_ from time to time. It quite isn't like those children books you probably still read, but it has pictures too."

Feeling the flush trying to crawl up my face again, this time out of anger than the need to prove to the world that I can be a ruddy girl, I slid my hand out from the mans'. "Not to be rude Minister, but I'm not really fond of the Prophet. I find that their stories are usually cover-ups of grander things and half of the things that they _do_ have to say, it's quite the pile of rubbish. So, I really don't spend my time reading the newspaper, I just let my family catch me up on our current events. And, no offense again, but aren't you rather _young_ to be Minister? I always figured Kingsley just appointed a very old bloke that probably needed help to go to the loo."

The Minister let his smile grew even more on his face, still chuckling at me. "Quite the liberal,eh? But then again I share your thoughts about the _Daily Prophet_, they do seem like the type of people to hush everything all up, but I assure you not on my account. And, yes, I am younger than any Minister has been in office. Only twenty-six, quite the baby, and yet Shacklebolt thought me the right man for the job."

"Brilliant---"I nodded, less impressed right after he mentioned the word 'baby'. Apparently I had forgotten that I was carrying twenty-eight extra pounds on my womb and a charmed bag on my shoulder that contained a basket of goods that I was suppose to deliver. (Hmm. I thought the muggle-story went that Little Red-Ridding Hood went to deliver her grandmum food in a red cloak? Not a redhead delivering food to the Ministry of Magic with a gallon of pee that she was holding in as she encountered the wolf.) "Well, good luck with that undercover war, bashing writers, intruding visitors, and your nutter of a secretary. I've got to go."

"Where are you off to? Maybe I can direct you there safely---"The young Minister interjected, holding up a palm before I walked away. (What the hell did I look like? A bloody dog?)

"You do need a pass."

Rolling my eyes, I directed my gaze at the brunette who could not keep her mouth shut. "Look lady, honestly, bugger off about the pass. _I do not have one_. What could a pregnant witch honestly do to this place?---And just for the record, I am the walking pass. I've walked the aisles of this department before Kingsley ever decided to hire you before he left the Ministry."

"---I never did catch your name, Miss."The handsome ----(_well he is_!)---- man chimed in once more before the row with Carmen could even commence. "Or do you want me to refer to you as the pregnant-life-sized pass?"

I sighed and extended my hand out to the man this time. (Well, if it got me to the loo fast enough, I suppose I can waste another minute of my precious life.) "I'm----"

"---Dom?"

"Dominique Weasley...."I muttered quickly to the Minister, a sense of relief crossing my body as I saw a slender figure walk his way out of the office down the marbled path. His dark hair a random mess as his bespectacled eyes scanned the scene before him as he approached. "Hello, Uncle Harry." I smiled, letting the hand of the tall man go and waving it at my Uncle.

"Dom, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking towards me and giving me a quick hug. And act that granted me the pleasure of watching Carmen turn red from the shock. (Oh yeah. I'm Harry Potter's niece, bitch! There's your pass!)

"Brought you some lunch----"I shrugged, sliding the bag from my shoulder and tossing it at him after he took his stand on my left. "Aunt Ginny sent me. She stopped by at Shell Cottage with Aunt Hermione and Astoria. Apparently they were off to Hogwarts to deliver the legalized papers of your 'adoption' of Em, and she hadn't the time to come and feed you. Not to mention that Grandmum Molly is taking a quick trip to Romania today so she had no alternative but to send me. She woke me from my noon nap since mum and dad went to muggle London with Granddad Arthur, but no problem Uncle Harry. You know how much I _love_ to waddle with my handicapped issue at the moment."

Shaking his messy hair, Uncle Harry laughed. "I see you've met my niece, Emilio, I hope she gave you no trouble. She can me quite the erratic threat when she wants to be, as you may tell."

The Minister laughed along with his Head of the Auror Department, with Carmen giving a few fake giggles in the background. "Ah, do not worry, Harry. Dominique was simply giving me her opinion about the problem we have developed with the _Daily Prophet_, but no matter. I found her quite...charming."

My breath caught in my throat as his brown eyes found their way back to my face, and I swore they twinkled with a wink. "Erm..." (Okay, is the man missing something here? I'm seventeen, such a young lad, and I'm pregnant! How could he not see the watermelon that is hanging at the tip of my abdomen?!)

"---Dad! I've found the archives you were looking for. They were in the bottom of the filing folders, we should really fire that assistant. He does a wretched job. No offense to Uncle Ron but he is just the laziest bloke ever----_Dom_?" Sprinting out of Uncle Harry's office carrying a stack of folders, a blue-haired wizard squeaked my name out as he stopped his pace in front of me. "What are you doing here?"

"I've brought you food, git----"I sneered, crossing my arms after I pointed at the bag Uncle Harry was holding. "And I thought _you_ were in charge of filing? At least that's what you told Victoire when you were gossiping about the elder cases the Auror's had before you joined their ranks."

"Was not...."Teddy glared, lowering the folders in his hand at his side. "And I do not gossip, Dominique, that is completely unethical."

I snorted.

"Ted, please, remember she can't take a shove at her current state."Uncle Harry commented loudly, frowning at his eldest son as he looked ready to attack as the Minister raised his eyebrow in suspicion and his secretary gasped.

"Yeah, Ted, remember----"I smirked, watching the roots of his hair turn as red as mine. "I'm carrying your nephew, by marriage of course, but still. How'd you think Vic will react if you murdered her pregnant sister?"

"Grateful."

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go eat---"Lifting his wand towards Teddy, Uncle Harry reached for my slender arm. "If you'll excuse us, Emilio, we're about to have lunch."

"No problem, Harry. No problem." The Minister nodded his head in understanding, looking calm but a bit disappointed in the eyes. "Have a great meal and...Thank you Miss Weasley...for such a lovely insight."

I bit my lip. "Erm...Have a good day, Minister...."(Hmm. It came out right, but it sounded like a question. Am I becoming proper? Oh, Merlin, no!)

"_Emilio_, Dominique. Emilio."He whispered as Uncle Harry pulled me after saying his goodbye's;Carmen flipped her note-pad open once more, and Teddy began to complain about my mouth never being shut.

And yet, all I could see were those almost golden-eyes staring at me as I was being dragged off; being so captivated by me. From the intense red hair on my hair to the swollen stomach I carried, they never stopped shinning from my presence.

"----It was forty minutes into the game and the bludgers had knocked out more players off of their brooms than a Stupefying spell. The match wasn't even half-way done when there was only six members in total, it was the survival of the fittest, mate."

"I've heard about that----"Teddy chimed in, barely allowing his father to open his mouth as he directed a finger at the redheaded man that had joined the lunch-session an hour ago. " Chudley Cannons had caused a severe row with the other teams Captain. Claiming that they had bewitched the bludgers into knocking out their team players first. It was quite the spectacle when the Seeker for the opponent team almost bashed their heads in."

"Yeah, Ginny can be brutal when she wants to be." Uncle Ron frowned, probably thinking back about thirty years ago when his sister almost killed the Captain of his favorite Quidditch team. "Although she had all the accusations coming to her, mind you. She had that bloody smirk she likes to sport whenever she does something devious and that will turn out to be extremely _painful_ to others....I should know. I first recognized that smirk when I was six and I didn't want to have a tea-party with her bloody dolls...."

Teddy grinned, looking as excited as an infant with a sweet being waved in front of his face. (Such a disturbing sight.) "What did mum do?"

Uncle Ron narrowed his eyes as Uncle Harry laughed, both of them leaning back against their chairs in the Head Auror's office. "Let's just say....I had a bit of trouble sitting down or going to the loo for a month after that."

Lifting one eyebrow in disgust, I stood quickly from the leather chair across from my Uncle Harry. "Alright. I'm going back home. I've fed you, listened to a continuous conversation about Quidditch for forty-minutes, heard about new tactics for the Auror Training Program, how Kingsley's life is now that he lives in a muggle neighborhood, about Hagrid's new dragon and how Uncle Charlie helped him smuggle it to France, and about Uncle Ron losing his manly-bits since he was six...I'm scarred enough now."

"Dom---"

"I've got things to do, Uncle Harry."I replied quickly, noticing that I was lingering _too_ long in this place. "And dad will murder me if he thinks I was off disturbing you three while you are working...Besides..you know he forbade me to ever step foot in the Ministry...."The three blokes, all at once, gave me a solemn nod. Remembering the infuriated discussion that came after Teddy had explained to my father of why I was crying a month ago. "Bye."I waved, feeling a knot in my throat form as I registered the fact.

It had been an entire month.

Thirty days and nights.

Four weeks in which I locked myself in my room at night, placed a strong Silencing Charm on my walls and cried my eyes out. Letting all the damned emotions race out of me as I gave them permission to free themselves from the prison I had them in.

I had to be strong. I couldn't break.

Not even when mum would sneak into my room in the middle of night as I 'slept'; running her fingers through my hair and silently crying next to me. Whispering in her accent-tainted English how cruel life turned out to be for her youngest daughter. Muttering words of comfort to me that I would not let her speak when I was fully awake.

Nor could I shed all those tears that I contained throughout my day when dad would take a turn out of sleeping just to come watch over me. I had to keep in those wretched screams that wanted to burst out of my chest when my daddy, the only man that I held in a pedestal now,would sit at the corner of my room in an old rocking-chair, ready to heal the scars in my heart when I needed to.

I had to keep my head help high when Grandmum Molly, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Percy, and Uncle George stormed into Shell Cottage the day they were told; faking that everything was going to be okay. Assuring them that it wasn't necessary for them to take time out of their days just to make sure that I will be fine....Because, in my own words...in my own filthy lying words..."Dominique Weasley can survive anything."

Except for a heart-break.

I had to keep the humor that I no longer held in my body when my Uncle's Ron and Harry suggested that they murder the cause of my latest blow. I had to get them to promise they would not partner up with Uncle George or Teddy in making the situation worse.

It was the mature thing to say; not seeking revenge. (According to Victoire and Molly.) Except they did not know that I would have given anything to take one swing at him. So maybe he could feel the pain---even if it was physical---I felt every night when I hugged the tip of my womb, muttering to my unborn child that everything will be just fine

It had been a month...A month since Derrick Rowle bashed my hopes and dreams; never returning to me.

"---He's not here, Dominique."Feeling a warm hand being placed on my shoulder, I took in a ragged breath. Trying my hardest to stop the tears that were blurring my vision of the hall down the Auror Department.

"I don't know who you're talking about..."I sniffled, holding in my breath as Uncle Harry sighed. "I'm just simply taking a rest...Carrying a body inside of me encase you have forgotten."

"Just because I play clueless with your Aunt Gin, Dom, doesn't actually mean I am."He said to me, removing his hand from my shoulder. "Do you really think I did not notice the way your eyes would light up every time someone would walk into the cafeteria of the Ministry? Or the way you looked down every hall when we walked? How you handled an hour of your Uncle Ron's disgusting manner of scarfing down his food?"

My bottom lip trembled and my head filled with curses. "....Where is he?"I murmured, my vision finally coming back to me tear-free.

"Not in the Ministry, Dominique...."

"Where?"

"_Dom_..."

"Did he have a day off?" I interjected, ignoring the tone of 'please-just-let-it-go' in his voice. "Or did he already complete his training?"

"Dom---"

"Just answer the question, Uncle Harry. Just..._please_..."I turned on my stand, looking away and resigning on the hall that extended out from the other Auror offices. "I promise...I'm not going to go looking for him, Uncle Harry. I mean...how daft do you think I am? He...He l-left me remember? I'm not just going to walk up to the bloke and batt my eyelashes...I have some dignity."

(Oh, Molly's Jesus Christ. How pathetic could I possibly sound?)

Sighing, my uncle shook his head at me. "Like I said, Dom, he's not _here_...."His voice filled with resentment and a bit of annoyance. "I'm not sure if he has the day off or not...But I can assure you he is still in training....I don't really know when he completes the curse....Bulgaria has their own methods of the program than we do in England."

"B-Bulgaria?"My heart stopped and my body filled with a pulling pain. "Did you just say Bulgaria? As in..._You promised me you wouldn't do anything to him_!" I hissed, my pain mixed all around and exploding out from my throat. "I specifically told you and Uncle Ron to bugger off about him! Why...Why would you---"I stopped, clenching my teeth as I felt a jab of electricity.

"I didn't, Dominique. As Head of the Auror Department, I took in a binding magical oath..I can't let personal matters mix with those who have been accused and fellow Auror's."

"Then _why_ did he leave?!" I snapped, my hands sweating and forming into fists. "Why would he leave to Bulgaria? He has known nothing but England, France, and the States! Why would he---"

"He transferred himself, Dom..."Uncle Harry said calmly, oblivious to the pain that was engulfing my insides. "He's been...He's been in Bulgaria for the past three weeks. I didn't have a say in it nor could I oppose it. He just came in and asked to sign the papers."

"....Three weeks?"

_ PLOP_.

Both of our eyes opened widely; emerald on emerald. He stared at me with a concerned expression behind his glasses, fear expressing itself as I felt water seep through the holes my muggle-sandals had. He looked pale, and I'm sure my facial expression was entirely different than his.

I felt my face turn deep red; felt the pain in my lower abdomen ignite and pull on my intestines.

"Dominique..."Uncle Harry took a shaky step towards me, looking paler by the second as I heard the door to his office open and footsteps emerge on the marbled floor.

"I thought you left already. Honestly, Dom, don't you have better things than---Ugh. Mister Doyle forgot to mop here again, dad."Teddy's gray eyes stared at the floor, looking annoyed by the mess.

"Dominique, your...your water broke."Uncle Harry breathed, shoving Teddy aside and clutching me by the arms as I gritted my teeth as a contraction hit me roughly on my backside.

"No, really?" I exhaled, knitting my eyebrows together as another wave of pain raced throughout my body. "You kill one dark wizard and all of a sudden you think you know everything, eh?"

"Stay calm, Dom. Stay calm." My Uncle breathed, turning to his white-faced adoptive son as he lifted me up in his arms. "Ted, tell Ron to apparate to Angelina's and tell her that Dom went into labor; to meet us in St. Mungos in _three_ minutes!---Dom, are you ready?" He said, looking me straight in the eye as I gritted my teeth more and Teddy cried 'breathe, Dom!' as he bolted towards the office.

Biting my lip to hold in a scream, I shook my head. "No..Uncle Harry. I can't..._Ow_! I can't!"

"You will, Dominique!"

"_Ow_!" I screeched, closing my eyes as I placed a palm on my stomach. "_Argh_!"

----It's been a month since Derrick Rowle has seen the progression of his child. Thirty days since he has ran a hand down my swollen abdomen and caressed it with care. Four weeks since he anticipated and exclaimed the excitement he had until the day finally arrived....

The day had finally arrived; I was in labor. Getting transported with a light _Crack _that I barely registered to the hospital as the contractions burned through me.

The day had finally arrived...and Derrick was nowhere to be seen...

* * *

** AN/ Ahhh!!!! Lol. The baby's coming!=O**

**Yay or Nay? Lol. Did you guys prefer a pregnant Dominique, with her crazy situations, or that rush of energy when she doesnt have the hormones and extra weight? xD**

**Next Chapter: Scorpius's POV  
**


	28. Detention, Daydreaming, and Destruction

** Scorpius's POV**

"Today's detention session has been temporarily modified---"

"_Modified_?"Liam asked as he raised his hand, looking confused as the Headmistress narrowed her eyes on him. "What does modified actually mean?" He raised his brown eyebrow from the desk he sat in the dim classroom. His face glowing a paler color as the candles from the corners around shone lightly and grimly.

"It means, Mister Greengrass, that you will hold your tongue while I'm speaking. Seeing as all the Professor's are busy with the final exams before the end of the term actually strolls around and since Hogwarts was _not_ created to baby-sit those students who can't refrain themselves from degrading their houses, all of you shall serve detention the muggle way."

"_Muggle way_?" Evanna Nott, who sat three desks down my cousin, raised her eyebrows highly on her white face as well. Looking at the old woman as if she had just sprouted a second head and she wanted Evanna to pet it. "Professor, can I say that I am completely innocent here? I was in no way involved with these ruddy gits! I was just at the wrong time at the wrong place!"

The Headmistress kept her frown as Freddie Weasley laughed from where he sat. Flipping his red-hair in an uncharacteristic manner as the Professor kept glaring at the Ravenclaw."That may be so Miss Nott, but you still haven't been able to clear to me why you were on your own, after curfew, existing one of the boys lavatory's. And unless there was a student in there who was dying you have the right to be in there."

I rolled my eyes, holding my scoff as the Professor scanned the room. "---And even then Nott, you should inform a teacher before entering forbidden headquarters." I grinned, the words coming out quite sarcastically.

"Shove off, Malfoy. It's just like your pathetic self to be in detention because you were late and missed the Transfiguration lesson." Evanna retorted, crossing her arms and then quickly turning her scowl at my brown-haired cousin. (Not giving the bloke a chance to let the laughter hiss out before she decided to attack with the Slytherin-glare she had inherited from her father.) "And _you...._Maybe next time you should refrain yourself from staying inside the greenhouse with Gracen Goyle when clearly, she was suppose to be in the dormitory sleeping instead of playing Herbologist with you."

Liam's eyes opened with a humorous pop as Freddie dropped his smirk and replaced it with a look of surprise. "We were actually studying! Professor Longbottom was with us for an hour helping us review on what's going to be on the exam! _Ask him_!"

"No doubt about that, Greengrass, but where were you and Gracen the hour later when Professor Longbottom was having dinner with the rest of the castle?"Evanna shot back.

"Studying!"

"---_Please_!"The redheaded Gryffindor interjected, scoffing as his surprise wore off. "You can't be in a room with a good-looking witch like Gracen Goyle and not be attempting to snog her! It's impossible! Why can't you just admit that you have developed a certain soft-spot for the Ravenclaw and you were taking the opportunity of a free classroom? Because, trust me mate, a broomstick closet is _very_ uncomfortable."

The only Ravenclaw in the room gasped loudly, her bright eyes shinning with fury as she aimed a balled-up parchment at the bloke who had stopped speaking. "That's my friend, you thickhead! What are you implying? That Gracen is some sort of loose wench?"

"Silence!----"Professor McGonagall stood from the chair in the middle of her old classroom, where apparently all the torturing is now taking place and continued to frown at us as Evanna Nott and Freddie Weasley started a row about the students playing Herboligists in one of the greenhouses. "You will sit here in complete silence, without getting up from your chair for the next two hours. And on tomorrow's session all four of you shall write lines concerning your ability to break rules and respecting your classmates----"

"That's completely unfair!"Evanna protested, crossing her arms in anger as the Headmistress gave her a look of 'Does-it-look-like-I-give-a-Hippogriffs-ass'? "....If we're going with the muggle-way of things today can I at least be transferred to a female-facility? The muggles never let the two genders mix and I refuse to be in the same room as these ruddy gits."

"Oh, if only we were that lucky, Nott." My cousin muttered harshly, slapping his head down on the surface of his desk as he tried to push the blush on his cheeks away. (Well, it wasn't everyday one accused Liam Alec Greengrass of snogging girls in classrooms, is it?) "I doubt even the girls want you around...."The words came out in a mumble beneath the wood of his desk.

"Do they actually do that?" I asked, turning to Freddie as he started nodding his head rapidly.

"---Yeah, mate. My cousin Molly has a friend at her job at Gringott's who has a nephew that attends Durmstrang, that is dating a veela from Ireland that has a best friend that just arrived from Russia that was introduced to a squib that says that her great uncle has a niece who lives in a muggle-neighborhood where one of her acquaintances married a muggle-school teacher who told her all about it. It's barbaric."

My brows knitted together in confusion as the angry tension in the room evaporated away and all of us looked at the Weasley in the room with concerned, blank eyes. "---You shall have an intermission in an hour from now. I suggest you find a comfortable seating position and remember it...you will be sitting in those desks for four hours for the next three days." Professor McGonagall gave us a tiny grin and proceeded to walk down the aisle of her old classroom. Closing the door with the softest of bangs.

"So...."Freddie cleared his throat, pushing his red hair away from his neck and exposing three new bite-marks that he had received throughout the day. (Still puzzling Louis about _how_ exactly was he getting them. Refusing to believe, even after all of us had finally accepted it, that Fredrick Weasley has developed swagger.) "Do you want the antidote for these love-marks, Greengrass? A sickle per bottle, but it depends how hard and strong did Gracen bite--_Oi_!"He erased the wink he had sent at Liam as my cousin chucked a bottle of ink towards his direction and Evanna rolled her eyes in surrender.

Shaking my head, I lowered my left cheek onto the table and closed my eyes.

It was times like these when I preferred to reminisce about _one_ Weasley.

My Rose.

_Her eyes were staring into mine._

_ So brown, so intense. They glittered in the most dazzling of ways, making such a plain color be so extraordinary that it took my breath away._

_ She gave the slightest of pouts as I placed my finger on her silky lips; silencing her as my heart raced like a maniac, ignoring everyone around us. "Rose, will you marry me?"_

_ I said it._

_ Those three words that were bigger than when I had first said 'I love you.' A couple of words that were so simple but were absolutely holy and sacred; words that I had always planned to speak to her and would come straight from the heart. _

_ "W-What?" She breathed, her hazel eyes open wide as she stared at me with a skeptical gaze. "Scorpius...what did you...did you just---what?"_

_ I laughed, running my finger away from her lips and placing it under her chin. Making her look up at me, as I smiled in complete bliss. A state that only she could ever leave me in. "Will you, Rose Jane Weasley, marry me?"_

_ "Scorpius...."_

_ "Look, I know that we are young---"I interrupted her expression of momentary fear and confusion. "I know that we're just sixteen and that you want to do so many things after Hogwarts but, Rose, I love you. I'm completely in love with you that I know now, in the most naive of my days, that I will want you forever." With my left hand that was holding on to her waist, I gripped harder and pulled her to me. "Love doesn't recognize and age Rose Weasley, it just learns to tell the heart who it wants. It learns to tell the soul who is perfect for it...And my entire being has been screaming for you since the moment I met you..."_

_ "Scorpius...I---"_

_ "Tell me you love me, Rose." I hushed her, not wanting her to say anything at that moment. "Tell me that you love me...Say yes. If you know that you'll always want me forever then tell me yes."_

_ "Scorpius----"_

_ "Rose, please, just say it."_

_ Her right eyebrow raised on her face. "Scorpius----"_

_ "Can't you just see what I mean?" I held her tighter than I would have ever let myself. "Or...Or is it that you can't see yourself with me until the end of your days? Don't you...Don't you see _us_, Rose? Old and gray with great-grandchildren running around in our house because our kids refused to take care of them during the holidays?"_

_ "Scorpius---"_

_ "Can't you see it?"_

_ "_Scorpius_!"Rose hissed, her eyes focusing roughly on me as I started squeezing her harder and I refused to let her speak. (Can you honestly blame me? We Malfoy's aren't graced with the eloquent manner of speaking our emotions properly aloud. We've been idiots for generations because our past ancestors have always had their mates thrown and given to them. So basically they left me without any help at all and to fend for myself...Guess that's what happens when you fall in love with a Weasley. Bet my Grandfather Lucius is smirking in his grave, eh? ) "Well you give it a moment? You're overwhelming yourself and people are starting to stare...." She nudged with her head to the side._

_ "---Wasn't staring, mate. Promise."Lysander Thomas muttered with a sly grin as he passed through my girlfriend and I; an arm draped around Alice Longbottom's shoulders as they walked towards the doors of the castle._

_ Rolling her eyes in that annoyance that comes so easily to her, Rose turned to me. Sighing to herself as she shook her head and pushed my hard grip away from her white, slender arms. "I've never known you could be so intense, Scorpius..."She mumbled as a side note, her eyes still not meeting my desperate ones as a few more students passed us._

_ "I knew this was a mistake---"I whispered in her same indifferent tone. Lowering my head a bit as I felt my heart give a lazy thump at the lack of excitement I was actually expecting. "It was a mad idea to begin with,Rose. I'm sorry...."For dads' Salazar. Inside of that brilliant head of hers she is probably laughing at me...Mocking me by such a dimwitted idea. "It's stupid---"_

_ "Obviously.."She snorted, taking the opportunity to kick me when I was already emotionally thrown on the dirt. "It has to be the thickest thing I have ever heard of, Scorpius. I don't even know why you would _ever_ think that I would agree to this." Hearing a loud crunching sound inside my chest, I let a warm finger snapped my neck up. Making me meet those hazel eyes that butchered me when they wanted. "How could you think that I would _actually_ want this?"_

_ "I--I"_

_ "You're a fool, Scorpius Malfoy---"She interrupted, making me regret the silence that had invaded her before. (Can you say 'Ouch'?) "But you're _my_ fool...."_

_ "What?" I gaped, lifting my eyebrow._

_ "I don't disagree that this is the thickest thing you could have possibly told me, even when you mentioned two years ago that I should become a professional Quidditch player when I am unstable and inherited the fear of flying from my mother----But I love you...And...I';d go to the depths of the world for you..._Always_. And..well...dad always did say that you were going to end up turning my brains into rubbish..."_

_ As our gazes locked and I felt a heat rush to my face, I pulled her hand away from my face and gripped on to it. Holding her warmth to me once more as I felt a sudden current of bliss swimming inside my blood; hope was rising and growing. "D-Does that mean...?"_

_ "Yes, Scorpius. I will marry you----"The rest of her sentence was cut short by the erratic noise exploding around my ears and the sound of collision that my body made against her as I reeled her into the tightest of embraces. _

_ "Rose...I-I .." Without knowing how to formulate my words, I squeezed her once more against my arms and then unwillingly with excitement, I pulled her three inches away from me. _

_ "Consider us engaged, Scorpius---"She breathed, her eyes twinkling with the most divine of lights. "We are still too young for this...but it's a promise. "_

_ "---Of course." I chuckled softly, knowing that it was better than nothing. "I love you Rose Weasley...Always and forever."_

_ "I love you too Scorpius...Even if it's the most irrational thing I could ever do..."_

"---Malfoy!"

Lifting my head up from the cool surface of the desk, I snapped my eyes open as I heard my name being shouted savagely. "_What_?" I hissed at the brunette witch, frowning at her as her yells interrupted the best part of my memory; the sensation of Rose's lips on mine. (Bloody selfish Evanna, just because she wasn't snogging anyone anymore.) "Can't you see I was sleeping?"

"Can't _you_ see that this is _not_ your four-poster, Malfoy?" Evanna Nott retorted, crossing her arms across her chest as she stood from her desk and threw me a deep frown. "The Headmistress came in, it's time for a break. "

"Break?"

"Yes, the classroom is needed for----"

And before the Ravenclaw could even finish her venom-filled statement, a dirty-blonde girl walked into the classroom. A pile of books balancing on her arms as her blue eyes scouted the room; smiling in gratitude when Freddie went to her aid and grabbed a few of her belongings. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but Professor McGonagall said I could use this room for a few minutes. I just need to study some of the charts for my Transfiguration test in a couple of days, and the current Professor of the subject is requiring his classroom at the moment..."

A bolt of anger and hate ran through my spine; my skin crawling as I heard the light tone of the witch's voice. (It's typical anyway. Evil tends to cause disgust in many.) "Oh, no problem at all, Madison." Evanna giggled, looking cheerfully towards her fellow house-mate. "You take _all_ the time that you need while we stretch our legs outside." Nodding along in agreement with Al's ex-girlfriend, Freddie and Liam followed the girl out the door of the classroom. Leaving the devil-child and I alone.

"---Been running away from me, Scorpius." Madison interjected in a flash, not even allowing my body to register the fact that my brain was screaming 'Get out!' before my legs could twinge. "Quite odd, if you ask me...Especially after all we've been through...We were suppose to be friends.."

Taking in a deep inhale, I turned to the blue-eyed witch. "I'm sorry Madison..but I don't tend to be friends with people who threaten me. Or have you forgotten?" I spat, glaring as the last words she ever spoke to me bounced inside the walls of my head.

"No, I haven't...."Madison whispered, standing up taller as her stare softened. An aura of almost sadness seemed to start bubbling around her as she looked at me. Trying its' hardest to pierce the barrier that I had developed to activate every time she was around. "But I also haven't forgotten that you kissed me---- How did you expect _me_ to react when you kissed me and then declared yourself mentally disabled because of it?---Do you know how wounded I was?"

"_You what_?"

_Thump._

Turning around as my heart gave a thick beat, my vision collided with intense red-waves and stunned hazel eyes. "Rose...."

"W-What did Madison just say, Scorpius?" The redhead asked, her presence fully registered in the classroom even as it started spinning in front of my eyes.

"I-I---It's not what it sounds like, Rose. I swear it---"

"Don't swear it, Malfoy. How can you?" Interrupting the sudden hysteria that was running up my body, Madison Mulciber took silent steps towards my side. Her face formed into a mask of guilt, shame, and hurt as Rose's eyes jumped between the Ravenclaw and I. "How...How can you _lie_ to Rose in her face? Tell her the truth. Tell her that you kissed me---"

"_I didn't kiss you_!" I hissed, forgetting the panic as I pushed the Ravenclaw away from Rose and I. My anger rushing faster than the greatest Seeker racing towards the golden-snitch.

"Yes, you did---"Madison cried, tears falling down from her sockets as her back hit the edge of a desk. "You were suppose to be tutoring me on Potions, and after a while you got really comfortable with me...a-and that's when you did it! You kissed me! I _told_ you I couldn't...I told you I valued Rose's friendship too much to ever think of betraying her that way..and you didn't care!"

Freezing me completely in my stance, I felt as if a bludger had hit me beside the head. Knocking everything out of view as the Ravenclaw witch cried even harder and Rose shed silent, thick tears from her place.

"I-I'm so sorry, Rose---"Madison turned her direction to the breaking redhead to the right of us. "I wanted to tell you...b-but he didn't let me. He said if I would t-then I would lose all of my friends because you wouldn't believe me. A-And...I didn't want to lose you, Rose...You've helped me in everything since I transferred here...how can I be ungrateful to that?"

"Rose---"

"_Don't touch me_!" My girlfriend screeched, swapping the grip I had put on her slender arm after Madison had finished with her lies. "Stay away from me!"

"Rose!"And just like the memory that had faded away before this unexpected moment, Rose's warmth disappeared from my touch as she went through the classroom door. The inflamed hue of her hair washing away with the candle light.

"Well----"With a deep breath, Madison let out a snort. "That was rather dramatic. Not exactly my taste of things, but little Weasley had to appear to ruin my less theatrical version that I was preparing for you...But eh, what to do?" She shrugged, wiping away the tear-tracks on her pale cheeks. "Oh, pull yourself together, Malfoy."She scoffed, her footsteps sounding like an echo in my ears as everything around me was starting to blur. Nothing sinking in but the feel of my chest scorching with pain as Rose's broken expression replayed over and over again.

"How could you do this, Madison.....?" I asked, my knees wobbling and giving up as she put a palm on my shoulder. Almost like if the weight that signified her had finally crushed me and I could not stand anymore.

Not giving up on torturing even more, the Ravenclaw kneeled down beside me. Running her fingers into my hair as tears started falling like droplets from my eyes. "Simple---"She murmured next to my ear, her tone so mocking. "I've always been independent, Scorpius. I'm a Mulciber, we _know_ how to handle the rejection of others. How can we not? Serve the Dark Lord, remain faithful even after his fall and destruction, pass your believes to your children, and you have us. ---When I came to this school all I wanted was to complete my education and get as far away from all of you as soon as I could. Harmless right? But your stupid girlfriend kept trailing behind me. Under the Headmistress's orders, mind you, but it was still rather annoying. She looked at me, waiting for me to flash the Dark Mark or something, that I _had_ to give her something to occupy herself with. She wanted to find a horrible person, well too bad. She got little shy, plain Madi and that was that----"

Pulling on the roots of my hair, Madison Mulciber gave a high-pitch laugh.

"Come on Scorpius, be a wizard. Don't go about shedding tears for the Half-Blood. Have some dignity." She rolled her eyes, pulling herself up back to her feet. "Well, if it makes you feel any better you were right all along. You didn't kiss me----"

My eyes snapped upward; staring up at the witch with the devious smirk as the energy inside of my body kept reducing with every second that ticked by.

"Well you technically _did_, I mean it wasn't an illusion or anything---"She explained quickly, picking up her books again. "But the Amortentia you had been inhaling that day from me really did do the trick."Patting my head with indifference, Madison Mulciber turned on her heels.

Leaving me empty and without my life.

* * *

** AN: Say it.**

**You hate me.**

**Sigh.I'm sorry.**

**P.S. I must apologize for not updating sooner. Last week was Prom week and I was SUPER busy. (By the way, I had a BLLLLASSSSSTTT!) And this week my older sister is moving so I was helping her pack. So forgive me. I promise I'll update next week before any of you have the chance to miss me! xD...Not that you guys will...after this chapter =/**

**Next Chapter: Albus's POV  
**


	29. Of Counting Hippogriffs and Men

** Albus's POV**

_Sigh_.

Inside of the walls of the Great Hall, surpassing all the noise that all the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were making, the sound of deep exhaling was heard more profoundly. Covering the conversations that even a few Slytherins were having at their table; all of them obviously oblivious to the sound.

Except for one idiot.

_ Sigh_.

Me.

"Mate, do you fancy eating something? Something to get your energy going. You've been looking rather pale, and I reckon Peeves looks like he has a suntan compared to you---"Smiling dimly, I slid a bowl of cereal to the sighing blonde across from me. "Eat, Malfoy. You'll feel better."

"I'm..not hungry..."The blonde Slytherin whispered, his hair falling over to his eyes. (Given the age of our teenage years I am aware that the tousled look is very much in as it was three decades ago, but looking like a mad hobo was _not_ very attractive...And now I sound like a bloody witch..._great_.)

_ Cling_.

"Scorpius---"I snapped, watching the golden spoon I threw smack him on the shoulder and land on the marbled floor beneath and behind us. "I'm not your ruddy mother, alright? But just because I'm not it doesn't stop making you my best mate and make me less worried. You've been this depressed for the past three days. It's not doing you any good, and you _need_ to move from it. If Rose chooses not to see the situation clearly, that's her problem. She always been hardheaded, and you shouldn't be suffering over it. You apologized once, twice, a hundred times, and no luck. I say you get a move on----"

"Easy for you to say, right, Albus?"The now no-longer-whispering blonde hissed back, his gray eyes glaring at me as he shoved the cereal bowl back from its' previous pale face earning an intense scarlet color. (Well...at least he didn't look like a sodding ghost now.) "You didn't even flinch once for what happened with you and Nia. You didn't even register the fact that she has spent these past _two weeks_, fourteen days and still counting, crying over you. You can't even see her pain, let alone feel any remorse for what you've done.

How can you sit there and try to get me to stop feeling the way I am? Rose means the entire world to me...more than you could understand. And the pain she is going through is added onto me, because I care. Because unlike _you_, mate, I love my girlfriend more than my selfish needs. More than to ever let any ruddy girl come between us. I was placed under Amortentia; that's the difference between you and I....That I care enough to apologize a _thousand_ more times until I make it right. You just didn't bother."

With both of our nostrils flared and eyes locked in a furious gaze, Scorpius and I stood from the Slytherin table.

"Alright, alright. Settle down, both of you----"Arriving just before I could whip out my wand and directed to Malfoy's ruddy face, emerald eyes scowled at both of us. Pink palms shot in horizontal line to keep the distance between my best friend and I. "I could see the tension as soon as I entered the Great Hall and feel the worry when the spoon landed an inch away from the Gryffindor table."

"Keep suffering Malfoy, she'll _never_ forgive you." I growled, ignoring the outraged emerald eyes from what I had just let hiss out.

"_Albus_----"

"---Let him, Emily."Malfoy interjected, taking a step back from the Gryffindor and I. "He says it because he will never know the meaning of guilt or conscience. Somewhere along the way Potter lost himself...What a shame to the legacy his parents brought him into...You deserved to be in Slytherin more than I did...And I had it in my blood."

"_Scorpius_---"

"He cheated on Nia, Em. Don't go about feeling bad for the git, when he clearly doesn't." My house-mate responded faster than the emotion could run up to Emily's face. Instead he watched with smug eyes as she gasped and directed her even-more outraged expression towards me.

With a loud hissing sound that ignited the fury that was in no way controlled, I balled my palms into fists. Erasing the step Malfoy had taken away from me."Stay out of this!"I shouted at the dark-haired witch as her body collided with mine; blocking me from launching myself towards Malfoy completely and hurting him the muggle-way. Trying to shove her away from me and ignoring her screaming of 'Albus! No! _Stop_! He's your _friend_!', I still continued to fight against it.

I was mad.

Infuriated.

I had done nothing wrong...._Right_?

"----Oi! What the bloody hell are you doing?"Racing through the circle of students that was starting to form, James came rushing forward. Pulling his girlfriend away from my body, my older brother beamed a lethal glare as Emily Taylor wobbled a few steps and was caught by Lucas Zabini, and shoved me back a step.

"Shove off, James!" I pushed back.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Al?" Ignoring my shove, James looked down at me. Un-stirred by the venom in my voice or the anger bursting out of my body. "You've been behaving out of order lately, and now you're picking fights with Malfoy and Emily?"

"Leave him, James. Albus knows what he is doing---"Scorpius hissed from behind the crowd, already taking steps to the exit of the Great Hall. "He's got a few more days to everything falls apart, nothing lasts forever, mate. Remember that!" He flashed his middle finger in the air, and proceeded out. Getting lost among the other students as Emily started shooing them away from me.

"Will you not look at me like that?" I said harshly to the deep gazes of my brother and my two friends. "Where do any of you come off in judging me? The boy who is so easily controlled by a fourteen year-old, the bloke who can't seem to get a life and find something worth while...or the girl who goes about trying to end her life?"

Putting her palm up in an indifferent manner to my comment, Emily placed it on James's chest. "It's alright James, no need to get hostile with your brother...I'm sure he didn't mean it---"

"No, I meant it." I replied, adjusting my robes as James let out a curse word. "All of you are equally as messed up as I am...or even that doesn't give you the right to look at me like I just took form of Voldemort."Shoving Lucas aside as I threw a sneer at James and the love of his dull life, I left the Great Hall.

Laughing at the words Malfoy had said that were still playing inside my head.

Who was he to jinx me?

* * *

Feeling wet tracks move up from the side of my neck, I focused my eyes on the marbled wall in front of me. Letting my eyes take in every little line that decorated the ancient wall, not really registering anything around me but the color of the marbled mind was in blank; and everything was just one solid shape and color.

"---Albus, _estas bien_?"Oh, right. And Ophelia De la Cruz was also present. Mainly the only person I was currently blocking as my head refused to pay attention to her heated kisses or hard bites along my flesh.

Clearing my throat I gave a firm nod, pushing her back against the wall. Shaking all that haze away as I stared into her deep brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm good. Why do you ask?"

"Because you haven't been paying attention to me for the last ten minutes." She said, letting her arms fall a bit loosely from around my neck. "You found me in the corridor looking murderous, rambled about Malfoy being an idiot, attacked me, and then forgot that I was going along with such vigorous attack."

Sighing, I pulled one of hands from her waist and slammed it on my face. Rubbing it on my eyes as I was still fighting with myself to pay attention to the current for some reason I kept getting lost in my thoughts, that then would turn to a white fog and blur everything out. (Charming, eh? I'm going insane.) "...I got into a row with Scorpius, James, and Emily during breakfast that's all..."

"About?"

Furrowing my eyebrows at her for her sudden interest I continued. (What? It wasn't like we _talked_ much, okay? With everything that...happens, you reckon there's time to talk talk? Ah, no.) "Madison Mulciber got into Malfoy and my cousins' relationship, and that left the bloke in a very topsy-turvy state. We got into a fight about what happened with you and I....and Nia---"Clearing my throat once more, I shook out the blue-eyes piercing their way into my head. "Then Emily came to play defender between her precious Malfoy and I...and well you can imagine how James got when I raised my voice a little _too_ high for his liking at his girlfriend."

"_Bueno_---"The Slytherin witch sighed, blinking her eyelids in a boredly fashion. "If Madison got into Scorpius's relationship that's very much _his_ problem...Your cousin, well, she can believe what she wishes, no? And as for Emily Taylor...The girl was out swimming with the fishes, what does she know?" Ophelia snickered, shaking her head. "_Por Dios, esa tonta_."

"They're just upset---"I said quickly, not letting a tapping sensation inside the walls of my head progress into a fit of anger before I could manage it. "Because of the..Nia thing. You know how much they love her...We were all friends before we ever started forming couples among us. And Harper and I...well we were together for a year...It's going to take some time for them to get used to the fact that _we're_ together now."

"_Perdon_?" With eyes open a bit too widely, Ophelia coughed and let her arms completely slide away from me. "Excuse me, what?"

Erm...?

"Al..You and I..."The dark-haired witch paused for a second; looking rather pensive. "Okay, I've had fun all this time that we have met...I mean, it certainly gave it a pleasurable twist being here. It was the best thing that could have happened the first few months that I got landed in here for...My _Tio_ Emilio promised Octavio and I would make friends here...but I managed to change that to my own advantage---With your help of course but.._us_ being a 'couple.'..I don't think so."

Okay...Hold up. Give it a second.

_One Hippogriff._

_ Two Hippogriff._

_ Three Hippogriff._

"But I..I love you, Ophelia..."

Placing her pale palm over her mouth, only leaving her deadly brown eyes to be exposed to me, the Slytherin girl began to giggle. Her eyes rolling with every sound that escaped her mouth, plus a head-shake to add to my obvious humiliation at that precise moment. "No, no, no.---"She laughed a bit harder, shoving me a step back in a playful gesture. "_Pobre Albus, estas un poco locqito_."

"I'm not crazy, Ophelia." I snapped back, ripping her hand away from her mouth. Wanting to see her entire face not just fragments as she chortled with my revelations. "I left Nia for you...because we have something."

Finally dropping the giggling, Ophelia gave me a firm stare. "Look, Al, let's get one thing straight, okay? I'm the type of girl who likes to have her fun, _obviously_, but I have never been one to commit to anyone. I'm sixteen years old and just entered the world of royalty because by my uncles' hard work made him Minister. I'm not going to throw that away for _you_...I've never been in love Albus Potter, and you surely do _not_ come even a fragment close to being the one to break that---Oh, and just for the record, you left Nia because you wanted to. You were stupid enough to let little blondie find out about us, not that the process wasn't fun...but still. She didn't deserve it."

_Four Hippogriff._

_ Five Hippogriff._

Taking a step back from the deceiving witch, I shook my head. Feeling loads of pressure rushing in rapidly as she threw me a casual shrug followed by a 'It was just for fun, Al.' I felt my blood thicken at the sight of her; that deep stare looking at me with indifference "Goodbye, Ophelia..." I murmured, letting my feet drag me off from the corridor.

_Six Hippogriff._

_ Seven Hippogriff._

She really didn't care.

Ophelia didn't care at all. There was no tone of shame..of guilt when she pronounced Nia's name. No remorse for the damage _we_ have caused. _Nothing_. She felt nothing. Nothing for anyone. Nothing for _me_.

"The Headmistress is currently meeting with the Fifth Years about the O.W.L's. She's not there----"The Gryffindor Prefect, whats-his-face, said as I passed by him. My feet dragging me subconsciously to the place I currently needed to be.

I was a monster now.

No one would want to hear me out.

No one living, anyway.

"Good..."I mumbled, letting the famous gargoyle staircase lift me up. My heart pounding loudly in my ears with every second that ticked by.

Hearing the door close behind me as I walked down the three steps that led towards the Headmistress desk, I felt a burning sensation tickle my sockets. It tingled my eyes and started burning; reacting with my throat and making it hard to swallow.

_Eight Hippogriff._

_ Nine Hippogriff._

Sliding down at the corner of the grand desk, I left myself fall against the hard floor. My eyes looking up at the wall on the right side of the Headmistress's Office.

"----You look like a mess, Albus."

"I f-feel like a mess, Severus." I muttered back, my scorching eyes connected with the painted-coal ones of a man hanging on a golden picture-frame. Finding a sense of relief, even if just by a fraction, as his pale skin glowed from a candle inside the portrait and he pushed his long black hair back. Giving me his undivided attention as his stare never left mine.

"What happened?" The deceased Severus Snape, previous Potions Master and Headmaster of Hogwarts asked.

"I played with fire..."I whispered, bringing my knees up to my chest as my Slytherin-robes hung loosely around me. Making me feel like a guilty child wrapped in an oversized cloak with the evidence of his misbehavior burning in bright flames behind him. Having had let the flames consume it all; never even attempting to stop it because he figured he didn't know how. "I stepped outside of my comfort-zone..I stepped away from everything that I loved...Everything that I knew was right...Even from _m-me_..."Feeling the lump swell, I looked away from the dead Potions Master.

"How many did you hurt in the process?" He asked directly, his voice blank.

"...N-Nia..." And well, there you have it. The exact moment that poor, pathetic, daft Albus Severus began to cry in front of his painted namesake. "I hurt her terribly...I s-should have known better..but I didn't. I was so wrapped up with the person I was becoming..t-that I _never_ thought about her..Never gave her much thought---"

"What brought the sudden realization, Albus?" Professor Snape asked coldly, making my tearing eyes snap back to where his portrait hung. "Clearly, the situation had been going on for a while, but you must have already registered the fact of your betrayal towards this girl before..So, what brought the remorse into sudden play?"

Taking in a shaky breath, I replied with thicker tears falling from my eyes. "I was just a pastime. I gave _e-everything_ up for someone who just wanted to make her year at Hogwarts interesting..."

"Selfishness, Albus Severus, is a horrible sin---"The man hissed, making me recoil on my spot on the floor. Flinching as I expected to be impacted with something, forgetting that the man was inside a painting and couldn't throw me anything. "You can never let any of your needs clash with the ones of others...Especially of the ones you love...You'll end up paying for it for the rest of your life...It might seem impossible to think of feeling guilty for years, but believe me...It happens..." Pausing to take a breath, not that he needed one, Professor Snape continued. "You've made a mistake Albus, _now fix it_. Do not sit there and cry like a bitterly five year-old. I expect much better than that...especially if you are a Potter..The blood that runs in your veins boy forgives everything and knows only love...Never let the demon side of you take over that...Or when you find your way back to the light...you'll find it to be too late."

"What do I do exactly? You've said it yourself---"I interrupted him, my soul hurting as he mentioned the family legacy. "I messed up, and I know it..But I can't seek forgiveness just because I found out things did not go as planned for me...N-Nia will not forgive me over those terms..."

"----Why did you come here, boy?" He asked switching the subject; his black eyes starring at me with a glare. "Out of all the annoyingly big-mouthed family members you have in this school, why did you choose to come and speak with me?"

Wiping away the damp-trails down my cheeks, I stared sternly at the man. "Because...I knew you'd listen to me..Knew you wouldn't judge me for anything, not even if I am the thickest boy in this castle...I've always thought I could talk to you, Severus...But if it's a problem---"

"Of course not, stupid boy!" Snape growled, huffing at me with irritated eyes. "If it had been a problem I would have dismissed you the times you came to visit after the first time we met---Now quit getting sentimental on me and let's get back to the subject."He ordered, and I couldn't help but to let a small chuckle out. (It was always amusing to see Severus Snape railed up when it came to my presence. According to the late Albus Dumbledore, who likes to spend most of his day at his portrait with his sister Ariana, Snape couldn't come to terms that he actually _cared_ for a Potter. Don't I feel special, eh?)

"...Yes, Sir."

"Let me tell you something, Al---"He rolled his beady eyes on my previous comment, and kept the glare on his face. "People make mistakes, it's human nature. But it takes a true man..to recognize them and try to make it all better."

"---And it takes an even _truer_ man to repent for those mistakes and seek forgiveness in every possible way, even when he thinks he will never be forgiven."

"Dad?" I breathed, my neck turning to the distinct voice that did not belong to the late Potion Master. "What are you doing here?" I asked, hurrying up to stand on my feet. Thankful that I had erased the evidence of my dishonor before he even made it into the Headmistress's Office without a notice.

Standing by the black chairs across from the main one of the Headmistress's desk, my father smiled dimly from his stance. His wand out on his right hand and the left one trying to flatten his unruly hair. "Dominique has given birth, Al. Your mum and I want you, James, and Lily to meet the new member of the family before St. Mungo's doesn't allow visitors anymore..."

"For Merlin's saggy balls---"

"_Al_." Dad frowned, interjecting before my statement could get worse. (And, oh, it could.) "Good to see you..Professor..Hope you're doing well.." My eyes raced between the portrait and my father, taking dads' hand as he extended it out to me. Not really registering the idea of why I was, but simply that I was going to get a break out of this castle.

_Ten Hippogriff._

My escape.

Merlin, there was still someone up in the sky who loved me. (Possibly Sirius Black? From what Aunt Hermione says about him..He never did learn the meaning of settling down when he was alive.)

"As well as a painting can, Potter..."Snape responded, looking down at my father from his chalk-white hooked nose with less-emotional eyes than he had been sporting since I stumbled in here. "...I hope _you_ are well."

"Erm...I suppose we should go now, dad?" I mumbled, feeling the awkwardness of the moment. (Besides, I was the one who spoke to the portrait of Severus Snape. Who was dad to march down here and take that from me? Pfft. Greedy.) "Thank you for your help, Severus." I smiled at my namesake, glad that he was always a few corridors away when I needed him.

"Good luck, Albus." He grinned, obviously entertained by the confused expression on my dads' face.

And with an 'Egotistical fool' that came from the portrait as dads' loud _crack_ invaded my ears, I started spinning away from Hogwarts.

Bippity boppity boop.

Malfoy had indeed cursed me and reality was to await me sooner than I knew it.

* * *

** An/ Oh yes. That's right...Harry Potter can apparate inside of Hogwarts!**

**Oh, come on! He's the Boy-Who-Conquered! Do you really think they were not gona grant his ass that? Lol.**

**Anyway! For those of you who were waiting for things to go to hell for Al..TADA! Hope you enjoyed.**

**Anyone else liked how nice I made, Snape? Lol.**

**Next Chapter: Dominique's POV  
**


	30. Offspring of the Majestic Weasley

**Dominique's POV**

It all happened in slow motion.

Every second lasted an hour...an entire lifetime.

I remember the pain; remember the watery-wreck I was. I remember feeling my water break, feeling the jab of electricity racing up my spine as an even more intense pain hit me on my lower abdomen. I remember Uncle Harry, his arms cradling me as I winced with the immense pain.

There were tears.

Lots of them.

And none of them because of the contractions.

_ No_...

It was for a broken heart.

I felt a grand wave of emotions swim over me; trying drown me in itself. It wanted to eat me, completely. I was being suffocated by the tearing sensation in my chest, so much that I just wanted to let the lump in my throat choke me. I wanted to stop breathing.

I hated the world.

Hated the Ministry of Magic...Hated Bulgaria. Hated _him_.

I remember, if vaguely, that I was lowered onto a white mattress inside of a room in St. Mungo's. Remember seeing Uncle Harry mouthing words to me, no doubt positive ones. There was a look of pride burning in his eyes and an expression of optimism.

He was seeing something I wasn't...Something I couldn't.

With blinding tears I watched as Uncle Ron and Teddy burst into the room, calmly followed by my Aunt Angelina. (Who although walked with a certain grace had the most terrified expression upon her dark face that I almost felt bad for her. Except...I really couldn't feel anything but the pieces of my heart.) They were speaking to each other; hurriedly. Screaming about something as my Aunt flashed them a stack of papers while Teddy raced to my side and held on to my hand. Brushing the sweat away from my forehead.

I wanted him gone, I remember.

I wanted all of them to leave me alone..to disappear and leave me to mourn. But they didn't...Curse me. They didn't...That's when mum, dad, and a group of five also came rushing into the St. Mungo's room. Invading my broken-hearted state.

Did they not get it?

Did they not see that I was dying on that bed and I wanted nothing more than for them to leave me.

But of course...families are always blinded. And mum pushed Teddy aside, practically launching herself onto me as dad went to my free side; shouting words at her, I remember, to keep her from crying hysterically and thrown out the room.

Aunt Ginny was there; with my Grandmum Molly, Aunt Hermione, Granddad Arthur, and even Uncle George. They all had faces of great excitement, of great happiness and I didn't see why. I wanted to grab my wand..curse them all away from the room, but I was being restrained. So I didn't..

_'You're going to be okay, 'Oney..' _I remember mum saying in a teary whisper, her soft hands caressing my cheeks as Aunt Angelina kept talking to the adults._ 'You're going to be fine...I will be 'ere every moment of zee way, darling.'_

Get out.

I didn't want her touching me, I didn't want the room filled with all these people that had looked down on me..I didn't need them witnessing my pain..I wanted them gone. I wanted mum to be dragged off by a group of Healers, so brutally that dad had no choice but to follow along. I wanted Grandmum Molly to remember she had the stove on at the Burrow and take Granddad with her...I hoped that Aunt Hermione will remember there was an important meeting at her department in the Ministry, and that Uncle Ron needed to assist her. I wanted Aunt Angelina to get a patient that was on their deathbed..and needed her husband for support...I wanted there to be a Death Eater attack and that the two Potter's and their adoptive son to go fight to save our lives...but it didn't happen.

They were all smiling at me.

_Gits._

My eyes were burning even more, a strong contraction had hit me roughly, sending me into a wave of screams. My chest ached...I needed the pain to reside. I wanted to close my eyes and never have to look at anyone again..There was no need, no reason. Nothing existed. Nothing. And I could not take the pain that came with every breath...with every lurching pull that was going to send me to an agonizing state for the rest of my life.

The darkness needed to take me. I was giving myself to it. I was stretching out my arms to it; letting death find me. Nothing was worth it until----

'_Angelina! What's 'appening_?' Mum shouted, her tears falling heavier as I let out another ear-piercing scream. _'What's 'appening?'_

Sometime during my self-pitying I was hooked onto machines and my clothes disregarded; nothing but a simple white robe thrown over my swollen body. _'Justine! come here, quick! Get a move on!' _My Aunt had screeched an order, pointing her wand to the tip of her neck. _'All of you need to get out of here, _now_. The room needs to be cleared!'_

_ 'What's going on for Merlin's bloody sake, Angelina!' _Dad growled, pushing my Aunt a few steps back as she attempted to adjust a few straps of the machine.

_'The baby is losing oxygen, Bill! We _need_ to get it out before it suffocates! Now move!'_

The rhythm of my heart had increased by eighty-percent. I could feel it banging against my chest, poking me roughly inside my chest-bones, reminding me that there was something. My baby. '_Mum! Mum! Don't let my baby die!_' I screamed, holding on to her hand as everyone started rushing out of the room when a group of Healer's came. One of them escorting my Grandmum out as her sobs were heard loudly over my own mothers'. '_Mum_!'

And everything had gone black.

I remembered nothing..Just of a ripping sensation against my skin and the sudden thought of my existence.

I did had something to live for...

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"---Dom?" Blinking my eyes away from the only fragments of memory that I had when I was brought here, I was shaken from them by the sound of soft knocking. "Dom?" And with a light squeaking sound, intruders too.

Brushing away the hectic mess that my inflamed hair was at the moment, I looked towards the door. Syncing every pair of eyes that was seen and even the top of the heads of others that stood in the back. "Hey..."I whispered so sluggishly.

"Dom!"

"Move! I want to see her!"

"Cousin!"

"Dominique Fleur!"

"No pushing children, please!"

"Will you lot settle down?"

"Move on! Move on!"

Not reacting at the sudden explosion of noise that invaded my room, I adjusted myself on the bed and watched as everyone filed in. My Aunt Ginny frowning in the back as the younger monsters of our family pushed and shoved, some scrambling to get to the three chairs lined against the wall.

"Children, children, please. _Shhh_."More calmly than I expect her to react, Aunt Ginny pointed a finger towards my direction.

" Say 'ello, darlings----" My mother mumbled to the astound eyes, smiling warmly at the gasps as they all stared at my direction. Their faces settled into an expression of momentary warmth and fascination. "To zee new member of zee Weasley family."

"Cousin..."Molly, who had appeared for the occasion an hour after I had given birth but had still yet to be let in until this moment, smiled widely at me. Her brown eyes, that she had inherited from Uncle Percy, watered up and softened in a gaze that signaled her tears to commence. "I-I...I really dunno what to say at this moment----"

"That's a first---"Louis scoffed, rolling his eyes as mum shot him a death glare and a French curse-word from her stand next to me. "I can't believe you didn't inform us about this, Dom."

"She was a little busy, Louis." Lily retorted, taking the chance to answer for me. (Bless her.) "Tell you what, next time _you_ are giving birth send us a Howler during mid-labor. Promise we will feel extra grateful when you do."

"All am saying is, I would appreciate a bit more of communication between this family---"Louis continued, smirking at me as his blue-eyes shone towards the bundle in my arms. There was a strange glisten to them, almost as if he was staring at the most brilliant, most wicked thing he could ever think of. "I wanted to be here for my sister, is that so daunting?"

"_Aw_."James teased, his arms draped around Emily's waist. Probably already knowing that this moment was a bit difficult for his girlfriend...But he wasn't seeing what I was seeing. The girl on his lap stared, but with a true expression of happiness on her face as she focused all of her attention on me. Her emerald eyes twinkling as the baby stirred in the blankets.

Another person who was beyond joyous for this occasion.

"...Where's Scorpius and Rose?" I questioned, noticing that another sickening couple was missing from their lot.

"Malfoy stayed at school with Liam, Dom---"Al muttered, his gaze dancing around the room, not really meeting anything. (Apparently there was two of us who were fucked up somehow.) "He sends best wishes, of course. And Rose is outside with Aunt Hermione...they needed to talk about something."

"Can I hold the baby?" Roxanne and Lucy squealed at the same time, earning a few chuckles from the people inside of the room. "No, can _I_ hold it? I used to take care of Parker when he was small, remember? Dad trusted me loads more than he ever trusted Molls!" Lucy added, shoving Roxanne a few steps back from the edge of my bed.

"Oi! I dropped you _once_, Lucy!"

"Only once that mummy saw!" Lucy glared at Molly, fighting against her as my elder redheaded cousin held her by the collar of her purple shirt. "And if my memory serves me correctly, Molly, I recall _five_ more times!"

_Knock. Knock._

"Oh, now you've done it, Lucy Weasley. You summoned the devil." Molly tossed her younger sister towards Roxanne, turning to grab the knob of the metallic door. "If mum starts yelling at me for situations that _never_ happened, I swear to the muggles' Jesus Christ that you won't see the light of----"

"_Derrick_?" I breathed, my eyes widening at the pale figure standing on the other side of the doorframe. (Molly was right on cue, Lucy had indeed summoned the straight from the freezing depths of Bulgaria.)

_Beep. ._

Ignoring the stupid machine that was reading my high heart-rate, I held on to the bundle tighter as my oxygen supply was running thick. "Wha---"

"What the bloody hell are _you_ doing here?" Interrupting the babbling that I was about to do, Louis blocked my vision of the new-coming bloke. "Get out of this room!"

"Louis, _non, s'il vous plaît ! Arrêt !_" For the first time in ages, mum tore herself from my side. Jolting towards her youngest; pulling on his right arm as it shot in the air. His wand visible in the air.

"_Get out_!" My brother continued, all my cousins hissing like a knit of snakes as they realized what exactly was going on. (It was a bit hard to register everything for them, mind you. No one knew exactly what the problem was..but only that the bloke caused it.) "Get your ass out of this hospital and don't come back! You're not allowed anywhere near here. And if you _ever_ try to come near my sister and her child, I will curse you!"

"Louis, please!"Mum pulled her son again, sending another speedy sentence towards my Aunt Ginny in French as she tried to contain the others from whipping out their weapons.

"----_Protego_!"

Without thinking that my green eyes could open more wider than they were already, my heart gave a loud thump as a sparkly light flashed around the room. "Louis, lower your voice, son. This is a hospital, not the Gryffindor Common Room." With his wand still held high, Bill Weasley frowned at our relatives. "Gin, please take all the kids down to the cafeteria. I am sure they can use some feeding up at this moment."

"I'm actually not---"

"Yes, you are, James." Emily whispered, nudging her boyfriend in the ribs before she removed herself from his lap. "Let's go get something and then we can go talk to my old Healer. I've got some sessions that I need to reschedule."

"What are you doing, dad?" Louis questioned, his tone thick with acid as everyone cleared out. Shoving the almost-cursed man as they passed; some muttering 'Thanks for ruining the moment, git.' as their footsteps weren't heard as loudly anymore. "How can you protect this...._You should let me give him a go_."

"No, Louis." Dad retorted, draping an arm over my mothers' slender figure. "I want you out of this room...Your sister has matters to handle with Rowle and they're not your concern."

"----Did you forget he left her?" My brother snapped, making my chest ache even more as everyone started calling the bastard by his name. Making that hole burn heavily inside of me; enough that the bundle could not subside it. Not even as I felt the light heartbeat against my thundering one. "He walked out on Dom! I will not let this troll anywhere near my sister!"

"I said that's _enough_, Louis!" Causing mum to jump from the severe order, dad pointed a finger towards the door. "I said get out, and you will obey."

"But dad---"

"_But nothing_, Louis.I understand that you are worried for Dominique, but this is not your matter. Do you think I would ever let this boy an inch near your sister if he hadn't talked to me first? You're not the only one who is infuriated Louis, but there is no need to go to extremes for it. Now...Go outside with the family. Your sister has matters to attend to."

"_Allumer le fils, ne pas le combattre_." My blood started rushing with nervousness as my mother separated from my father and headed towards Louis. Interlacing her pale fingers with his, as she looked at him calmly and began to push him towards the door. "_Ce sera fin_, Louis."

"What if it's not, mum?" Louis replied in an angered voice, exiting the room and allowing Derrick Rowle to be completely visible to me. (_Ow_.)

"I'll be outside those doors, Dominique---"Bill said strongly, his scarred face was twisted into the blankest of expressions as he looked between the boy who crushed me and I. He waited until I could muster the courage to mutter a barely audible 'Okay' before following after mums' footsteps.

"...Tough crowd, eh?"The bloke said lightly, turning back slightly as dad closed the door behind him. "Not that I'm not used to threats by now...."

"You were gone..."I whispered, ignoring his attempt of small talk. "You l-left me.."

"Weasley, you've got to understand a few things before anything..."He responded back, equally as low. His black eyes staring at me with such intensity that I thought I was going to combust into flames by it.

"You left, Rowle. What else is there to understand?You chose to leave to Bulgaria, away from me---"He winced back at the mention of the country and I felt a smirk wanting to tug on my lips. "You didn't think I would know? Well how daft of you, because I _always_ know everything in the end. And you left me...with your kid in my womb..._without giving a damn_!"

The bundle stirred in my arms from the shout I had given; Rowle took an instinctive step forward.

"Stop saying that, Weasley."He hissed back, his pale face igniting into a scarlet hue. "I didn't leave you, and you know that. _You_ were the one who apparated from me in that department store. You chose to leave."

"And you never came to find me."

Momentarily taken aback, Rowle paused as his lips began tightening into a thin line. (That's right. Burn, Slytherin, burn.) " I was scared, Dominique. How could you have not seen that? How can you not see that everyday since we left Hogwarts I was terrified out of my knickers? I wanted to give it all to you...But I didn't believe I had it in me. I-I..never figured we would be together forever...but you changed that. I knew that I was in love with you, Weasley...but I never thought it was _this_ much. And then you started talking about marriage and...well..."

"You ran to hide miles away."I finished for him, my legs twitching as I saw the sudden glisten to his dark eyes. The tears being held in their rightful place; it wasn't like a Slytherin to cry after all. "What are you doing here, Derrick? Why did you even come back? How did you even know that I went into labor?" I questioned, watching as he had froze into a silent-state.

Couldn't have that, could I?

"Teddy apparated to the Auror Headquarters in Bulgaria..."He murmured, his eyes widening as the baby gave a single whimper; causing me to rock it slowly in my arms. Humming a light 'Shh. Shh. Shh.' "We've been owling for a few days now; he swore that he would inform me when this happened...I just wanted to be a part of this, Weasley. I just want to be a part of the baby's life...Of _your_ life..."

The lump that had been living in my throat for weeks now seemed to re-tighten at the sudden news. Feeling the need to contract inside of me...to activate my tears and the pain in my chest as Rowle shed a single tear and his bottom lip trembled. Causing me to hitch my breath as he walked towards me; erasing the agonizing distance that had separated us all this time.

"I love you, Dominique. With all that I have..._I love you_."He kneeled at my bedside, taking one of my hands away from the body of our child. "I need you to believe me when I say this: I left, Weasley, not because you granted me freedom, but because I needed to regain all that I had lost. All of my courage, all of my will. I needed to be able to see if I could handle anything...And I can't. I can't handle being without you...."

With my lip quivering exactly like his, I gripped his hand tightly. "You didn't have to marry me, Rowle, I would've been content with only you..."

"...Do you forgive me?"He sobbed, placing his forehead against the surface of my hand. "Please tell me you do, Weasley."

I took a deep breath; inhaling in deeply that I heard a few of my bones crack from the action. It had been ages since I enjoyed so much air; since I took the choice of breathing. I hadn't found any will to let in what kept humans alive, but now it felt normal. Felt so automatic to let the air in; to let _him_ back in.

Loving him, forgiving him---It was as easy as breathing.

"Look at your child, Rowle---"I whispered, shifting my upper-body in an angle; exposing the warmth of my heart to be fully exposed to the Slytherin. "Do you have something to say to me?"

Lifting his head up and peering up with his coal eyes, Derrick placed a smile on his face. A smile filled with adoration; fascination and infatuation.

In a tiny moment, in a fragment of a millisecond, Derrick's face lit up with a strong emotion that stretched from the corners of his lips to the pupils of his eyes. Making his entire persona glow and radiate by looking at the child.

A child he passionately loved just for the mere fact that it existed.

His child; _our_ child.

"You, Dominique Fleur Weasley---"The bloke spoke, grinning at me as the bundle yawned and its' eyes fluttered open. "Are the greatest witch to have ever entered my life. You are the most majestic and enthralling creature that was born in our generation. You are the almighty one...The one I love. The one that has captured my soul and every inch of my being."

My grin matched his; squeezing his hand as his fingers traced the skin of the baby. His coal eyes piercing into the ones of the child. "Aren't you forgetting something else?" I gave a soft giggle.

"----Gryffindor rules and Slytherin drools."

Leaning forward, without giving it much thought, I pressed my lips onto Derrick's forehead. Allowing without any hesitation or fight for the strong sparks to bolt inside of my blood. Lighting everything on it's way as it made path to restart my broken heart.

_ Boom_!

"You see! _I told you_! I told you if we left them for a long time that would happen!" Louis snarled bombarding himself into the room uninvited, frowning as he pointed an accusing finger at Rowle's lips as they met mine in a chaste kiss.

"Aw, it's cute."

"Quite adorable, really."

"If it makes her happy."

"She _looks_ happy!"

"_I_ made it happen. Let the record show---"

"Shut up, Ted!"

"What a git!"

"Can we kill him?"

"Uncle Bill can we curse him?"

"No, Parker."

"Dom, can I hold the baby? Please! _Please_!"

"Can I go to the loo?"

"There is not suppose to be so many people inside of this room! You lot are suffocating the baby and eating up its' oxygen."

"Technically that's not true, Uncle Harry. People who suffer---"

"No one asked you, Rose."

"Mum, Hugo's being a prat."

"Takes it up after your father, Rosie."

"_Oi_!"

"Everyone shut it!" I glared, tossing a pillow to the lot that had followed in after my brother. (Merlin, it can't be possible that I had just brought another Weasley into this hectic lot. What was I thinking? Allowing these species to grow is a death-sentence!)

"---Don't be throwing things, Dom, you'll hurt yourself." Victoire, who had finally shown up, scolded as Teddy smirked.

"Just shut up---"I repeated, scooting over as Derrick joined me on the bed. Throwing an arm around my shoulders, and snuggling his chin on the top of my head. "Now...Family I would fancy if you lot met our child...Dustin Louis Rowle."

And then, faster than time had been ticking all this time, there was an eruption inside of the room again. Everyone moving and talking quickly as a Golden Snitch, love flying around the room like a leaf on a windy day. Laughter and grins invading the room; quickly followed by James's teases when Louis, my defending younger brother, began to shed tears when he repeated his nephew's complete name.

(Oh, what a softie.)

* * *

** An/ Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.**

**Longest chapter in a while, huh? Lol. Well I love this crazy redheaded Weasley. She's always so fun to write, except obvious that today's chapter wasn't necessarily fun. But come on, she needed her moment of seriousness. SHE NEEDED TO GET HER MAN BACK! **

**Oh. If you guys recall Chapter 17 (The Meddling Mister Lupin) Derrick and Dominique had a bet to see what the gender of their baby was going to be...and guess what? It was a BOY! Lol. Shocking, yes. xD Anyway, that's why he said the bit about Slytherin being lame lol.**

**Next Chapter: Third POV.  
**


	31. A Day in the Life of Lions and a Snake

** Third POV**

Inside the pallid grey walls of the grand room, a pale hand could be seen reaching for a wand sitting carelessly on the nightstand. With so much grace and act of silence, the hand gripped its' fingers around the stick, pulling it away from the wood. It pointed the illuminating tip to the blonde boy laying on his bed; completely oblivious to the intruder in his bed room.

The wand ignited a deeper hue, more intense and more powerful. "-_Aperio_."

The blonde boy bolted up from his bed, his silvery eyes open widely as he took in his surroundings as he was shot with a blinding light.

"Good morning, cousin, I'm glad you're awake."Twirling the wand between his fingers, Liam Greengrass smirked lazily at his heavily-breathing relative.

"Piss off, Liam." Scorpius huffed, squinting his eyes as his cousin removed himself from his place by the window of his room. Annoyed by the damn sneer on his face as he made all the sunlight from the day pour into his room like it was an open invitation to the Quidditch World Cup. "Don't you have your own room to go smirk like a blubbering idiot?"

"Well, if you recall cousin, the Greengrass Estate was demolished when they murdered my father. The Ministry thought it appropriate for the Estate to be destroyed for the attacks that were going on at the moment and Mister Potter didn't want me in that kind of danger. And so, I had to come live with you. Just like an orphan with no place to go but to ruin his cousins' life."

Dropping some of the glare that had penetrated his face, Scorpius leaned his back against the back-frame of his emerald bed; feeling slightly guilty. (Leave it to Liam to make him feel in utter shame when he wanted nothing more than to curse his manly-bits off for intruding.) "Quit using the Uncle Alec card on me, prat-"He hissed, and crossed his arms over his pale chest. "And you know what I mean."

Liam chuckled as indifferently as he could. He forgets that he can't use the murder of his father lightly; it almost always comes with a consequence. His broken heart started hurting more than its' mending pieces could control. (When he would watch his Aunt Astoria caress his cousin with a motherly-touch, he couldn't help but to remember his deceased mother's face. He missed her, even if she was demented. Pansy Parkinson was, and always will be, his mother...And he seems to miss that.) "Your house-elf kicked me out. She started pulling my ear and scolding me for not putting my socks in their rightful place."

"Merlin, bless Darla's soul." Scorpius smirked, finally savoring his moment to. "So, what's with the fancy clothes, Liam?" He questioned, noticing the perfectly-ironed grey button-up shirt on his cousin, and his patching black trousers. "Going somewhere?"

"Erm...Yes, actually..."The brunette boy mumbled, now finding it hard to stare at his cousins' face. "_Wearegoingtotheburrow_."

"I'm sorry, what?" Scorpius raised his eyebrow, confused of the muttering rubbish Liam spat out.

The Gryffindor sighed. "We are going to the Burrow, Scorpius. Why do you think Uncle Draco pulled us out of Hogwarts?"

Feeling like his chest contracted and made his heart stop beating, the blonde let his anger rush back towards his pale face. "I'm not going."

"I reckon you have to, cousin."

"Well I'm _not_ going!"Malfoy hissed.

"-Liam, can you please exit the room?" Both pair of eyes, brown and gray, moved towards the doors of Scorpius's room. A bit startled by the hardening ones that were frowning at them. "I need to speak to him."

"Erm...Sure, Uncle Draco. I-I...better go say good morning to Narcissa." Throwing his cousin a sympathetic stare, Liam raced out of the room. He rather be helping Darla the house-elf with the chores than listen to the two male Malfoys row.

"I know why you are here, father..."Scorpius began, rolling his eyes as Draco Malfoy threw him an expecting expression. "And if you pulled me out of Hogwarts just to go down to the Weasley's place, I'm sorry to inform you that you wasted a perfectly good second of your life when you Flooed down there."

"It's a family moment, Scorpius, and we are not going to be the ones to miss it."

"When did you become so supportive for family unity?" His son retorted, not thinking twice about his reply.

"The Weasley's have been nothing but kind to us, Scorpius. And as much as my old-self hates to admit it, I can't be ungrateful to that. Whatever it is that happened between you and Granger's girl, I suggest you learn to snap out of it for the next couple of hours."

"Don't...Don't mention her-"Scorpius whispered, feeling like he had been smacked across the face. (Oh, the consequences for talking back to Draco Malfoy.) "I just...I rather not attend."

"I didn't pull you out from Hogwarts, son, so you can stay in bed. Listen, I may not know what's going on, but if it's this bad...you must fix it." Draco took a calm step towards the direction of his sons' bed. "I spent years trying to keep you away from them and now you tell me you don't want to be around them? _Please_. Scorpius, you're smarter than that...And whatever happened with Rose I am sure it's something that can be mended..."

"I-It can't..." Scorpius muttered at his father, lower his head slightly as the man in front of him kept his stare on him.

"As much as my pride goes against what I'm about to say, I want you to listen very carefully, Scorpius." The elder blonde sighed, cursing himself internally before he could speak again. (His fifteen year-old self would have Avada Kedavra'd him before the idea formulated.) "I knew you and that girl were in love with each other since the first time I was in the same room with you two. I could see it in your eyes...and believe me, it does not come natural for us to love...As Granger used to like to remind herself, we are incapable of it...But when it comes to you so easily...it's the most precious thing you can have. Do not give up because an obstacle bumped you along the path, son. If...If you love this girl you will do your very best..."

"Rose doesn't..."Scorpius swallowed the knot, still keeping his chin firmly pointed down. He could not risk letting his father see how weak the redhead made him. "She doesn't hear me out...Rose doesn't want _anything_ to do with me..."

Taking the chance to let a full-out snort cough its' way out as the boy took a pause, Mister Malfoy rolled his eyes. "And since when, Scorpius, does a Malfoy live to accommodate a Weasley?" Smirking as he noticed Scorpius lips tug into the smallest of smiles, Draco turned back towards the door. "You've got twenty minutes to get ready, or I'll have Darla beat some sense into you. You know how much she loves Rose..."

"As do I..."The Slytherin replied, smiling as his dad closed the door behind him.

He was right, after all.

Love didn't come easy to the Malfoy's, and if he had the best witch in the world, why was he going to let that go?

* * *

"Hush little baby; don 't say a word. Momma's going to buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird don't sing, momma's going to buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring goes brass, momma's going to buy you a looking glass-"

Lightly moving her bare feet over the polished-wood of the floor of Shell Cottage, Dominique Weasley squinted her eyes at the person carrying the new member of the family, being cradled and sung to a peaceful slumber. "What in Uncle-Charlie's-Dragons are you singing to my child?" She whispered, approaching the rocking-chair with a baby-bottle in one hand.

"It's called a lullaby- "Teddy Lupin hissed, frowning as he yanked the bottle from his Sister-in-Law's hand. "Molly taught it to me. She said it would put Dustin straight to sleep, and guess what, it has!"

And just as Teddy's pride started turning his hair an intense shade of blue, Dustin Louis Rowle let out a long wail.

"_Pffft_-"Dominique snorted, stretching out her arms to the blue-haired wizard as her baby stirred in his embrace; her ears perking up at the loud footsteps emerging from the few halls in the house and the back-door banging open. "Apparently Molls has to retake that Muggle-Child course all over ruddy witch needs to stop throwing you with ideas that will not work; just simply wave your wand at his face and he'll fall asleep."

Staring aghast at the redhead, Teddy blurted: "You're a horrible mother, Dom. What in Dumbledore's pants did Fleur do to you?"

"-What happened?"

"-Ez ze baby alright?"

"-Louis Junior?"

"-Teddy?"

"What do you mean '_Teddy_'?" Victoire, who had been one of the four to burst into the room, gave a sigh of relief as her husband stared at her angrily. "I do not cry like that!"

"I didn't say you did, Ted, I just thought Aunt Gin had apparated and started beating you again. You know she's been quite sensitive lately-"

"With quite zee reason!" Fleur Weasley interjected, shaking her finger at her daughters' husband. "Ginny could not forget zat you 'ave been cursed three times this month! No more zan ever she wants you to quit zee Auror Department!"

"Oh yes, mum, go ahead and remind Vicky about it. Just what we need, an infuriated veela running around the house. We've already got Dominique for that, please don't make me regret these past free days from Hogwarts." Louis leered, sending a rude gesture towards his redheaded sister.

Rolling her eyes at the stampede that had made its' way into the living room of Shell Cottage, Dominique took her baby from Teddy. "Will all of you relax? This is the third time this week that all of you run like Grandmum's chickens that have been targeted by gnomes every time there's a cry -"Receiving the bottle back from her Brother-in-Law, Dominique smiled lovingly at her child and proceeded to feed him; silencing his cries into a sound of contentment "Dustin's a baby, he's bound to cry loads-And for Merlin's sake, Louis, _stop_ calling the kid that before I curse off his middle name from the Family Tree."

"Well maybe if we knew that you weren't a demented wench, we wouldn't be so worried for the kid every time he cries!" Louis protested, glaring at his sister as she threatened to take away the only wicked thing his nephew had in his name. (Seriously, _Dustin Rowle_? Dominique must have been heavily medicated when she decided to name him.)

"Bite me, veela-" Dominique spat, covering one of Dustin's ears.

"Dominique, please." Bill sighed, rubbing his temples as his two youngest paused in the almighty row that was about to commence. "Not in front of the baby. If you don't watch your language he'll end up like your Uncle Ron."

"Yeah, Dominique. Keep Louis Junior away from your bloody-"

_ Crack_.

_ Wham_.

"Oi!"Louis snarled, holding onto his cheek as his sister had sprung up from the rocking chair, handed the child to their father, and punched him directly on his pale face in one second. "You better hope that I'm not left with a bruise!"

"-Dom, you're not suppose to make harsh movements."

"You're lucky you are ass is always getting saved, little Louis!" Dominique slithered her body, waving her fists at the direction of her brother as she was being held back. "Give me one more remark and I will murder you! You'll end up as flobberworm food if you don't watch it!"

"Arrived just in time, eh, mate?" Teddy chuckled darkly, throwing an arm around Victoire's shoulders as he leered at Derrick Rowle. (Poor lad. Always apparated at the worst times.) "Don't you wish you were stuck in the Auror Department filing archives right about now?"

"Dominique, if you don't stop you'll end up in St. Mungo's again. Just because you're a witch, doesn't mean the stitches won't rip open. You're not made of steel, you know?" Victoire added, elbowing her husband in the ribs as he made no attempt to help Dominique's once-again boyfriend.

"Derrick, 'oney, I'm glad you could make it-"Mrs. Weasley smiled with hesitance at the dark-haired wizard, her motherly instincts kicking in as he watched the young man place a kiss on her youngest daughters' forehead; almost like if the previous months had never happened and he didn't make her little Dominique cry. "I hope zat zee Minister understood zee meaning of this gathering-but you're quite early. I'm sorry, I 'ave nothing prepared yet."

"Erm, actually mum-"And in one swift second, Dominique recomposed herself and allowed her face to become a serious expression. Looking between her aging blonde mother and her father. "Rowle and I had...something we wished to discuss with you and dad before...well, before the rest of the family arrived."

"-You're pregnant?"

"Victoire, get Louis out of here." Bill growled, his frown deepening as Dominique let out another curse word towards her brother; her fingers twitching to her wand. "The three of you go make yourselves useful and help Fleur in the kitchen. _Now_!"

"You see prat, now we'll never know!" Teddy hissed at Louis, pushing him out of the living room as Bill barked his order. "When will you know to shut your bloody mouth?"

"Dominique...?" Fleur turned to the redhead, her eyes softening as the girl had a slight guilty expression on her white face.

"No-"Dominique whispered towards Derrick, lowering his arms as he intended to get her father to pass him their newborn child. "It's better if dad holds on to Dustin at the moment, Rowle..."

"What is it?" Bill asked, eyeing the two almost-eighteen year-old's as they whispered among each other. "_Dominique_." The elder redhead snapped, growing irritated as the girl ignored him to pat her boyfriend on the back soothingly.

"We've been talking recently-"Derrick interjected, answering Bill's retort before his daughter could even part her lips. It was about time he said something, after all if he didn't he would always be the boy who broke Dominique's heart. "And well...Dominique and I have decided that we are going to restart the plans that we had made before Dustin was born."

"...Plans?" Mister Weasley repeated, still looking at the two as his grandchild stirred in his arms and he held on to the bottle the baby was feeding from. "What plans?"

"Erm-"Dominique looked up to the coal-eyes of her boyfriend; meeting the most determined gaze she had ever seen on his face. "Well, Rowle bought a house. For the three of us..."

"You're moving out?" Fleur gasped, her blue eyes opening dramatically. (Clearly she had missed that Dominique's future departure wasn't _that_ had a child already for Merlin's sake!)

"Yes..." Dominique mumbled, lowering her gaze away from her mother. (She preferred to see her angry than with those sad blue eyes. Who would have thought the fiery redhead cared _that_ much?)

"Just like that?" Her father replied in a low husky voice, his heart sailing down his chest as his first grandchild reached for his stubby finger and held it close. Giving him an intense sense of protection and nostalgia.

"Well...since we are doing things out of order, I reckon I should ask you something, sir-"Derrick took the moment of silence between the Weasley's to speak, sliding his hand to interlace with his girlfriends' fingers. "I'm also here to ask for Dominique's hand in marriage."

The room froze at the sudden words; leaving only the sound of Dustin Louis Rowle to mix with the thick silence.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

* * *

"Describe to me...what exactly happened that day?"

Sitting in front of an elderly man with an expectant look on his wrinkled face, a witch with the deepest emerald eyes stared back at him. Her gaze trying to break through his trustworthy-looking face, trying to prove that he could not make her recover. She wanted to-wanted to be healed and sane-but a part of her gripped to her past. Letting her know with every breath that she took that her life was a broken puzzle-piece and that maybe she would never put it back together.

"...Emily?"Snapping the girl from those painful memories, like a slap to the face, a redheaded woman turned on her chair to stare at the teenage girl with concerned eyes. "Are you alright, darling?"

Feeling a squeeze to her slowly-numbing fingers, Emily gave a soft nod. "It was cold that night...It was always cold-"She began in a dim voice, starting her story of misery. Of the day she decided that she needed to end her cycle in life. "L-Lysander was with me...we were talking about his mother, apparently she had been ill...She had lost her baby..."

Ginny Potter grimaced at the look of pain on her new goddaughter's face; also trying to push back the fragment of memory of Luna Thomas's expression when she had finally divulged to her about the miscarriage. "-And that hurt you?" The redhead woman heard the Healer ask while she took a deep inhale. (She was certainly not the same emotionally-strong girl she used to be; after a life of suspense her insides were shells of frightful memories.)

Emily gave another solemn nod.

"Why did it hurt you, Emily?" Healer Fabian asked more specifically, ignoring the other two faces of twisted hurt that did not belong to his patient. "Why did the loss of your friends' mother hurt you so?"

"I thought...I thought of _my_ baby-"Emily said through tight lips, squeezing back at the supporting fingers of James Potter. "Thought of how I lost it...How I killed it."

"You were attacked were you not, Miss Taylor?"

"I was..."

"Then how was the loss _your_ fault?" The elder wizard asked, raising his gray eyebrow as the girl in front of him showed him an expression filled with guilt and shame. "How did you 'kill' your baby?"

Sparking up like a dash of fire, Emily frowned at the Healer. "I didn't protect it...I should have been more aware of what I was doing..I should have been able to control my actions...but I d-didn't.._like always_."

"Miss Taylor, you are aware of the circumstances in which you actually became pregnant, right?" Healer Fabian said directly, cutting across all the indirects that had been trying to be remained by the girl. "You are aware that you were psychically attacked by Lance Greyback; werewolf? And that the day you lost your child, he was the one who had, _yet again_, attacked you by cursing you into a hospital bed? I still can't comprehend, Miss Taylor, that you feel-"  
"_It's my fault_!"The American-girl screamed, startling James and Ginny Potter. Both of them looking away from the witch with the emerald eyes as they started shedding tears of the incident that she became victim of a year ago. "I'm the one who kills _everything_! It's my fault! I'm the murderer! _I did it_!" She continued to bellow, with her free hand gripping onto the arm-rest of the chair she was sitting on. Trying to contain herself from jumping up and shouting at the mans' face.

One.

Two.

Three.

"Guilt, mourning, and confusion, Miss Taylor, does not make you a murderer-"The old man spoke again, his expression still as calm as it was before the sudden irruption. "It makes you confused, in mourning, and guilty. Nowhere along your lifetime did you go around cursing people to their deaths, Miss Taylor, you have just been surrounded by fatal incidents that contributed to the fragile mind you already had."

Emily took a deep breath through her teeth, a flush racing up to her cheeks as the idea that she had just shouted like a lunatic at the Healer seeped into her head. (For the Potter's sake, she _was_ mentally handicapped.)

"Being completely forward and honest with you, Miss Taylor, I do not believe that you are in sorrow for the loss of the child. You were _attacked_, and you know it. You are repulsed by the sheer memory of Lance Greyback, hence making it impossible to love anything that he created. You were just given another death into your life, and you never learned to deal with the first two that you felt the need to blame yourself for the accidental abortion. Another soul, another person to die around you, Miss Taylor...How can it _not_ affect you, correct?"

Giving her another gentle squeeze, James proceeded to rub soothing circles on the thin skin of his girlfriends' knew her perfectly well; so he knew that her insides were about to pop with the straightforwardness of the Healers' words. He knew that Emily was calm and collected on the surface, always smiling and laughing with those she loved so much-but inside, inside was a different story.

She was fake; fragile and broken. She was jammed with ideas and guilt that were not hers, that were thrown to her by the emotional-abuse her brother placed her in. She had suffered under his guardianship, always being told she was the cause for everything bad that had sprinkled itself on top of the Taylor family. He knew that inside, where all of the tears and painful memories collected, she was a different person. Someone cold and angry, frustrated and resentful.

"So now...answer this: Do you feel sorrow, mourning over the child you lost because you loved it so, or because it was another death added to your conscience?"

Lowering her head, Emily focused her eyes on her lap. Carefully paying attention to the patterns that decorated her skirt. Momentarily staring at the pale skin on her legs; her blood rushing thick and in panic as she remembered Lance Greyback's claws sinking their way into her flesh. "I didn't want to have to live with another death..."

Smiling a small smile, Healer Fabian nodded his head. "Well, I'm glad to see you can see the difference now, Miss Taylor. It takes years for some patients to distinguish guilt from ideas of the subconscious mind. You were not in mourning nor had you _any_ fault in the loss of the child developing in your womb...Your mind was just too fragile to handle the guilt of thinking that you lost someone else to the cold-hands of fate."

"It's an improvement, right, Mister Fabian?" Mrs. Potter asked the Healer, taking her chance as she noticed that he stacked Emily's papers into a folder on his desk. "For her to be admitting and acknowledging every painful memory? She's been doing a lot better since Madam Pomfrey let her leave the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts...She smiles, eats, and laughs."

Emily felt a jolt of affection race up her heart at the motherly-look on Mrs. Potter's face. Asking questions about her well-being as if she were another one of her children. She felt so much gratitude for the woman; having had replaced the damaged image of what a mother was in her head.

"Oh it is, Mrs. Potter, I assure you."The Healer beamed, watching as relief washed over her freckly face. "Emily is doing much better now that she is willing to continue her sessions with St. Mungos. I assure you that in no time she will start feeling better about her past and that she will grow into that strong girl we all know she is.-To keep such turmoil inside, hidden from the rest of the world, even when it's looked upon as something bad, does take great effort. Great _strength_ to keep walking and continuing with life takes strength."The old man turned back to the teenaged witch, letting his proud smile grace her. "Now, I shall have a few words with Mrs. Potter about the scheduling of your next visits, Miss Taylor, but before I do I'll leave you with the next portion of your upcoming session."

"Okay..."Emily mumbled, calm seeping into her pores as her 'Godmother' gave her free hand a soft touch and stood from her chair, collecting her purse as the Healer also stood.

"If there is one thing that you value and worship more than your own life in this world, what is it? And is it worth breathing for it on your own accord to have it?" Healer Fabian spoke softly, opening the door to his office in St. Mungos for the redheaded beauty awaiting for him. "Have a pleasant day, Miss Taylor, and I shall see you very soon."

"Creepy bloke-"James commented, slouching over the chair as he knew his mother wouldn't through snide remarks about his lack of manners. "He's always so damn cheery, it's sickening. I remember when he was helping Uncle George with his mourning...I swear my Uncle was at his wits-end and almost cursed the man to his death so he could annoy the hell out of Uncle Fred instead. Of course, Aunt Angelina had to interfere most of the time which always led to major rows...which then..led to their marriage...?"

"In other words, he's just not a therapist but a match-maker." Emily laughed lightly, patting James's leg as he still looked confused about what he had just said. "I think that he makes all this too easy."

"_Easy_?" James scoffed, looking at his girlfriend with a did-you-just-forget-that-you-screamed-at-him look. "What's easy about opening up to a stranger and having him analyze every step you have taken and give him the power to determine whether you belong in the nutter department of this hospital."

"Gee, thanks James-"The witch frowned mockingly, letting her fingers play with his as they both waited for his mother to come back. "You make me feel better about my situation."

"I'm just saying..."He shrugged.

"Whatever, I still think he makes this fairly easy."

"Meaning?"

"His question for the next session, _obviously_!" Emily swatted her boyfriend on the arm, leaning against the right side of his body. "I already know what's worth more to me than my own life. It has always been easy and noticeable."

James furrowed his eyebrow's; staring at the girl with curiosity playing high on his face. "_Which is_...?" He motioned with his left hand, trying to keep his exterior cool as his heart-rate started increasing with every stroke she gave to his skin. (After all, it was no secret that he wanted her. That he adored every moment he was allowed to feel her, every time he got to press his lips to hers-It was no secret that James loved her like no other.)

"Scorpius, of course." Emily said indifferently, snuggling her head underneath his chin. "I mean, I loved that boy since the day I met him. We are fairly close, and a life without him seems impossible."

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, James frowned at the wall before them. "I suppose..."

_Smack. Smack._

"Oi! What's that for?" James hissed, shoving Emily's palm away from his chest.

"You are so _naive_, James Potter-"His girlfriend huffed, crossing her arms in an irritated manner. "Clearly I love Scorpius, no doubt about that, but how can you believe _he_ is what keeps me alive?"

"Because..you said it?"

"_Men_-"The witch snorted, rolling her eyes in a way she had learned from Dominique and Lily. "James, the question the Healer gave me is so easy because I live for _you_..."She gave him a soft smile and stretched her arm forward; to grab his hand into hers. "You're the most important-no-the most vital part of my world, James, that life without you would be complete misery. You're what kept me alive...you were the only thing keeping me from attempting-"

"No, don't say it." James whispered, cringing as his own memories of the day she decided she wanted to leave his life forever started poking its' way into his mind. "Don't say it, Em...I never..._ever_ want to think of the day that I thought I almost lost you..."

"I'm sorry, James." Emily sighed, pulling him forward until his face was a few centimeters away from hers. Their foreheads almost touching. "I will apologize for the rest of my life for what I did...Everything blew up, and I couldn't handle it anymore. And I will always be sorry for ever thinking that ending my life...that never seeing you again was worth the escape."

James winced. (She had to say it!) "I love you, Em." He breathed, pressing his forehead, finally, onto hers. Letting her breath tickle his lips and their noses grace each other in the softest of caresses. "I love you more than you'll ever know..."

"I love you too, James Potter...And that's all that I got." She whispered to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Feeling like her world was mending all around her, fragment by fragment, just by his embrace. Because they never needed to kiss, never needed to speak, never needed to consummate, all they needed was their hold and the world was alright.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait-"Waving his hand in front of the people entertained by the conversation being held in the Gryffindor table, Louis Weasley stared confused at the redheaded boy in front of him. "What exactly did you do, mate?"

"I cursed him." Freddie Weasley, one of the many currently attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, shrugged with a sense of carefree. "Simple as that; one wave of my wand and the bloke went spewing slugs like vomit after bottles and bottles of Fire Whiskey."

"But _why_?" Hugo asked his cousin, the fork still hanging loosely a couple of centimeters away from his mouth. "I thought you fancied the bloke?"

"I don't fancy him, Hugo-"Freddie glared, his face lightening up into a red hue matching his hair as the students around him laughed. "You sodding idiot."

"Whatever-"Hugo rolled his eyes, unstirred by Freddie's insult. "You got along with the bloke. You were always talking about how wicked he was, how he was interested in everything you were, and how he supported the daft things you would do. You said he was the best Slytherin to have ever graced Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but that changes, cousin!"Freddie shouted at the Ravenclaw among the group of lions. "Something snaps, he was running his hands all over my sister! You've got to hate him, it's the principle!"

"Pathetic." Ron Weasley's son snorted, proceeding to shove the fork into his mouth. Chewing on his potatoes nonchalantly as Freddie stared at him with insulted eyes.

"How would _you_ like it if you barge into the compartment your sister was sharing with her filthy boyfriend on the ride back to Hogwarts, and had to endure the sight? Imagine not feeling repulsed and violated as he is laying on top of her and touching her places that her clothes doesn't cover! Imagine seeing-_Oh, Merlin_. I'm going to throw up my Chocolate Frog." The redhead paused, slapping a hand dramatically onto his mouth as the scene started replaying was going to have to fly home after that, the Hogwarts Express would never be the same to the boy.

"Oh, _please_ get ill, Freddie." Lily Potter sneered, arriving just in time to the Gryffindor table to hear her cousin discuss what happens in Roxanne's personal time with her boyfriend. "You're fortunate if Madam Pomfrey diagnoses you with Dragon-Pox because you are not going to make it past your Herbology lesson once Roxy finds you. She ready to take revenge for Zabini's unstable manly-bits and slug-breath."

"No! Lily, _no_!" Louis cried, shaking his blonde hair as he had to worry about another female relative getting manky with a bloke that crosses their path. (Had the family not had enough with Dominique's little monster? Need they expand the Weasley-Clan before they were out of Hogwarts? The world was _not_ ready for the Fourth-Generation!)

"Relax, will you?" The redhead Fourth Year sighed, filling her goblet with water once more as Freddie drank it to pass his sudden sickness. "It's part of the human necessities. Everyone has bodily needs that need to be taken care of one way or another. If it's not Lucas Zabini it would be someone else."

"And _that_ is why, Louis Weasley, we are never babysitting your nephew-"Coral McLaggen, standing tall and beautiful behind her part-veela of a boyfriend, said as Lily smiled with triumph at the look of disgust on her cousins faces. "The things you place into the younger students is quite daunting. Half of the time I don't even know why I go out with you."

"Because I satisfy _your_ bodily needs?" Louis smirked, titling his head up and pouting his lips at his girlfriend.

"Not as well as you would think, Weasley." Coral huffed, smacking his lips with the end of her palm as her ears turned a slight pink. "Anyway, we've got to go. Seventh Years are having a meeting about the final celebration before we leave."

"Witches-"Louis sighed, looking aggravated as his girlfriend clapped excitedly. "Mate, you can't be serious? It's just a dinner where the Headmistress tell us indirectly that she's glad that another group of babbling bamboos are out of this castle!"He scrunched his face at his redheaded cousin, who clapped animatedly along with Coral.

"Pleasure seeing you around, Lils-"Hugo said casually, staring at his cousin as the other two marched away from the table.

"This is _my_ table, Hugo." Lily retorted, pulling open her schoolbag and taking out her _History of Magic_ textbook. "I'm bound to come and sit here, don't you think?"

"You've been off lately, Lily." Hugo said straightforwardly, scooting a bit closer to her and away from the eavesdropping ears of the Gryffindors. (Seriously, they had no manners. Try doing that in the Ravenclaw table and you'd be cursed before you can process the news.) "You were locked up at Godrics Hallow those days we had free from school, and then on our arrival back it was like you were swallowed by the castle. I haven't held a conversation with you in two weeks."

Her hazel eyes still kept on the pages of her thick book, Lily attempted to let the knot that started painfully forming in her throat dissolve before she continued. "I don't know what you're on about, Hugo, but I can assure you _nothing_ is wrong. I've been the same Lily as always-"Flipping her page, Lily looked harder at the book. Pretending to be fascinated on the Wizengamot Revolution chapter. "As for you, Hugo, where have _you_ been? I've hardly get to see you this year, you appear when you want and disappear as quickly as you came. I blame Andre Boot for that...He seems to be getting _all_ of your attention."

The Ravenclaw frowned, aggravated as Lily looked up from her textbook with a smirk on her face. "This isn't about me, Lily, so refrain from making it so. We all know- whether you are aware or not-about that Slytherin. Ursula Bulstrode took it upon herself to inform the entire family about what roams around the Slytherin Common Room. And guess what, cousin? _You're _the main topic."

Trying to keep the smirk on her face, but failing miserably, Lily Potter was overpowered by that agonizing knot. Finding it to be connected to every nerve in her body; filling her up with a sense of resentment, regret, and loss. "Well...If you know...Then your question is already answered, Hugo. No need to explain my lack of appearance around you lot, right?"

"How, Lily? How can you let that happen?" Her cousin hissed, narrowing his blue-eyes at her with letdown. "Were you not thinking? Were you not even aware of the consequences that you could have put yourself in? Did you even think about the fact that you don't know that bloke at all? What if he would have hurt you? What if he would have done something worse than taken what is supposed to be most dear to a girl?"

"Oi, Hugo-"Interrupting the parental speech that one of the Weasley children was about to give to Harry Potter's daughter, Liam Greengrass cleared his throat. Trying to get the attention of the Fourth Year Ravenclaw as the girl blinked at him with glistening eyes. (She was aware, after all, that Liam had heard everything.) "...Have you seen your sister? I-I'm suppose to give her back her notes."

"Erm-"Running his hand through his darkish red-hair, Hugo coughed at the awkwardness of the situation. (Bloody hell, he had just effed everything even was going to have his head and plant it over the Gryffindor fireplace!) "I saw her with Nia before I entered the Great Hall, I think they were heading towards the Library."

"The Library?" Liam repeated, his voice sounding a bit dazed as he focused on the teary brown eyes of his ex-girlfriend. Trying his hardest not to let his barrier break because of the look of defeat that they held; ultimately Lily had gotten what she wanted anyway. Who was he to judge her for what she had? Who was he to even feel _any_ feeling of despair if the witch enjoyed every single moment?

Isn't that why he was the _ex_?

"Yes, the Library, Greengrass-"Coming from behind the brunette Gryffindor, a dazzling dark-haired witch parked herself an inch from him. Smiling with mock as Liam looked surprised that she was standing there at all. "You know, that building that holds all the books and that is almost usually bombarded by Ravenclaws?"

"Are you implying I don't know how to distinguish a library, Goyle?" Liam said with ease, finding it to be much easier to breathe when the girl was around. (It took him a week to stop blushing whenever she would appear. Pathetic right? But, _shh_, not a word. The Ravenclaw still believed he had a discoloration in the cheeks!)

"_No_..."Gracen grinned, her alluring eyes sparkling as Liam's gained a shine to his. She was aware of the presence of the Potter girl, but she was unmoved by it. Lily Potter had lost her place in Liam's heart...well, at least she was loosing it. And although she never dreamed of competing for it, Gracen couldn't deny the slight joy she felt when the redhead would look at her with murdering eyes.(May the best witch win, then.) "I'm simply saying you don't know how to read, any thickhead can find the library."

"Funny, Grace."

"I try."The girl shrugged indifferently, taking a step towards the Gryffindor as she felt the hard eyes of Lily pierce her with much hate, that she swore she even saw smoke come out of her ears. "See you in the Common Room, Hugo."

"Later, mate-"Liam patted the younger Ravenclaw on the shoulder, ignoring the redheaded witch before him. Throwing one last uncharacteristic smile as he headed towards the doors of the Great Hall with Gracen Goyle. The flame of betrayal feeling extinguished by the mere presence of the girl. Everything was started to shin with bright colors once again, and he couldn't hide that it was due to her.

"Lily-"

"Forget it." Lily interjected, stopping Hugo before his apology could start. Her eyes following the path that her ex-boyfriend was taking with another girl. Her heart pounding loudly inside her chest, mixing with undefinable pain as she noticed that the fingers of his right hand were intertwined with hers. "It doesn't matter anyway."

She wasn't competing after all.

She gladly gave Liam Greengrass to the world; making him available to any daft girl that wanted him. Besides, she felt nothing for him anymore.

..._Right_?

* * *

** AN/ Okay, on the quickness!**

**I'm sorry for not updating in a long time! But I had final exams that I needed to study for because-guess what?- I GRADUATE this week! Whooooo! Lol. xD**

**Enjoy the loooooooooooong chapter!**

**Next Chapter: Scorpius's POV**

**(^^^ Just because I'm in a good mood!^^^)  
**


	32. Amending Interruptions and Predictions

**Scorpius's POV**

Looking out the window of the empty classroom that served no specific purpose in Hogwarts-only on days like these when the clouds were especially dark and water poured from the skies allowing no access to the grounds- a redheaded girl placed a shaky white hand on the glass. Staring out with a look of complete sorrow in her eyes; making the usually bright brown in them look duller and lifeless. She had been sitting on that same spot for a few hours, humming a light tune as the hectic commotion behind her contrasted with her solitary corner. "Rain, Rain, go away...Come again another day..."

_ Wham_.

"-Can you believe it, mate?" I was clapped roughly on the back, startling me out of my view of the redhead a few feet away. "Summer's right around the bloody corner and we get stuck with all of this murky rain!"Lucas Zabini groaned, lowering himself on the seat across from me. "I was talking to Trelawney and the wench promised me clear skies! I was ready to take a fly around the bloody Quidditch Pitch!"He ripped open his robes, angrily loosing his emerald tie as a few students in other dusty desks nodded in agreement.

"That's strange, Trelawney promised _me_ a very fatal incident happening today and I made it out alive from my Care of Magical Creatures lesson-"On my right, sitting quietly and calmly as I stared at the witch by the window, Emily Taylor, certified best friend, stretched her pink palms forward. Waving her fingers at Zabini and I; scratches and scrapes high-lighting her skin.

"What happened to you?" Lucas asked, poking Emily's wounds with his index finger like if it were a dead insect and he wanted to check if it was alive. "Fell over?"

"No. Those skrewts were crabbier than usual-literally. They kept attacking when the Professor assured they were in their 'peaceful' season. _Pffft_. I was lucky I left with my fingers." The Gryffindor sighed, pulling out bandages from her robes. "I've got to keep them hidden from James or he'll go take avenge on the poor creatures."

"Well it could have been worse, Em. What if our nutter Divination teacher was right and they ended up pinching your life away? What if it was _that_ fatal incident!" Lucas exclaimed, his emerald eyes open wide with mock.

"Doubt it. I think that maybe she referred to the incident at the Black Lake and she was just a few weeks behind news. You know, the spirits being on vacation from watching over me as i tried drowning myself."

"_Shut it_-"I hissed, finally turning away from the redhead up ahead and directing an infuriated gaze at the girl next to me. "Do you have to bring it up and sound so casual about it, Emily? It's not a story you can just share; it's not like you found a sickle on the floor and it turned you green and Madam Pomfrey had you in the Hospital Wing until you stopped looking like a toad!"

"Sorry...?" Emily mumbled, her cheeks flushing a light pink as I threw another remark. (In case you had been wondering why I was not speaking to her before Zabini came, it's because I was in a _very_ sarcastic-mood and I had already insulted her enough for a lifetime in the five minutes that she had talked to me. I was definitely Draco Malfoy's son.)

"Can you _believe_ this weather?" Interrupting the awkward look upon the American's face and my potential apology, a group of students came filing into the classroom. Their robes and schoolbag's drenched from the rain outside. Leaving puddles behind them as they approached. "How dare they make us attend lessons on the grounds when the school is almost flooded?"

"_Rain, Rain, go away...Come again another day..._"

"It's not that bad, cousin, lighten up-"Freddie Wealsey smirked, shaking his red hair crazily, alike a dog after a shower, and drenching the group even more. "When's the last time you enjoyed walking in the rain?"

"When's the last time you acted like a bloke!" Louis hissed, tossing his Gryffindor robe on the marbled floor and stomping on it. "The world is going down the loo and all you can think about is being poetic and a prat!"

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, feeling a bubble of momentary joy appear inside my chest as the redheaded girl by the window turned to the commotion; a smile gracing her slightly freckled face as Louis Wealsey continued to throw more of his clothing items onto the ground and stepping on them with hate.

"Louis hates getting his hair damped, says it ruins and clogs his pores." James snickered, walking away from the group and heading towards the side where his girlfriend shoved her bruised hands into her pockets. "He worries about what the female population of Hogwarts is going to think when they see his hair into a giant, fluffy, knotty mess. We told him, veela genetics take care of that. That part-fairies have nothing to worry about but _no_-He's been bitching about it since we left the greenhouse."

"First of all, Potter-"Louis snapped, raising his index finger into the air with his other hand on his waist. (Wow...he really did look a lot like Mrs. Weasley. Bet Mister Weasley was really disappointed when his only son looked like a French beauty.) "Refrain yourself from using the term part-fairy when it comes to a veela, it would be the last thing you will possibly do if you ever encounter one. We refuse to be associated with those winged midgets! Secondly, I blame dad for his easily-frizzed genetics!-And I do _not_ bitch, James! I complain...that's what real men do!"

"...Right." James said after a few silent seconds, a sneer playing on his face as Freddie began laughing and Louis hissed and attempted to launch himself forward. "Settle down, fairy, settle down."

"-Louis is upset because he received a letter from Uncle Bill last night. Informing him that Dominique was packing her things and leaving Shell Cottage with Rowle tomorrow evening." Albus explained, one of the many that came in, as he held on to his cousins' arms. Ignoring the dim glare that I had sent him as he started speaking. (No one had asked him anything...and yet again, Potter can't keep his lips from moving. Ha. There's a shocker.) "He said that she was taking the magical trunk Uncle Bill had inherited from Mad-Eye Moody back in the day and that she would return it after she got married."

"That was _my_ magical trunk!" Louis snarled, still attempting to wiggle himself from Al's hold. "Dad had given it to me and I let her use it once, and all of a sudden the bloody hag thinks it's hers!"

"He's a bit sensitive about the issue..."Al added, whispering with a crooked grin as Emily 'awed' at his comment.

"I am not sensitive, Albus, I just want my trunk! Dominique can do with her life whatever she pleases; _that's why it is hers_! Obviously we have no control over it, because if we did I assure you I would not be an uncle at such a young, handsome age!" Louis's white face grew redder by the second as Freddie mumbled a 'Aw, isn't he such the cute lad?' Igniting his anger even more. "She can go ahead and ruin her bloody life all that she wants! I'm not going to be there for her when that sodding idiot runs off on her, just like he did the first-"

"You're going to get sick, Harper!" The blonde Weasley silenced his rambling as another group marched in to the room some of the students used when the weather was horrible outside, and Potter let his arms go as he stared at the group with his jaw slightly open. (_Git_.) "Look at you! At _both_ of you! What were you two thinking?"

Laughing hysterically along with Evanna Nott, Nia Harper swung her arms around Olivia Boots shoulders. "Oh come off it, Oli! We just got caught in the storm!" She ripped off the towel that carried the Ravenclaw crest and handed it back to the owner.

"In your undergarments!" Olivia flushed, throwing back the towel to the Gryffindor witch. "You're pale and shaking, Nia! You can develop pneumonia!"

"You could have joined us too, Oli!" Evanna giggled along with an almost naked Nia. "There's nothing like taking a walk in the rain!"

Freddie chuckled underneath his breath at the words from Evanna, his lips tugging into a grin; his eyes kept firmly on her as she also handed her fellow Ravenclaw the towel around her body back. Exposing her drenched sheer-white shirt and small shorts.

"-The Headmistress is going to have your heads once she finds out!"

"...Why does she hang about with them?" Albus muttered in a defeated voice, his vision also glued on the group of girls but on his former ex-girlfriend. (The blonde one, not the brunette. Hmm...figures that Potter has been around, eh? With the amount of time he doesn't spend committed to _one_ girl.) "They're good friends now, or what?-Emily, go get her. Don't let Nott take Nia from our group!"

"But_ Al_-"

"-You should just let her be."I interjected before my best friend found herself in a dilemma. (There you go. There's my apology for the day.) "After all, didn't you _want_ Nia to be friends with Evanna before?" The people around my froze where they were at as the venom in my voice dripped out. None of them saying anything as my gray eyes focused on Potter's green and narrowed at the sight of him. "You should be satisfied that at least she smiling and laughing again, although I figure she still cries at night. But, _oi_, if it gives her momentary happiness you shouldn't interfere with it, mate. She just doesn't like being in the same group with the bloke that crushed her heart without remorse."

"_Rain, Rain, go away. Come again another day..._"

"What's up , mates-"Before the youngest male Potter could exit the room as he turned on his heels, a hand was slammed into his shoulder. Stopping him from moving another inch. "Crazy weather we're having today, eh? Trelawney assured me something horrible was to come from today, do you reckoned she meant a cold?" Liam said lamely, his nose bright red as his voice sounded a bit off.

"Why were you outside, Liam? You have Potions the last hour-_Oh_." My question was answered before I even looked up at my cousin. A flush creeping onto his face as Gracen Goyle, equally as wet from the rain as he was, joined her clique of laughing Ravenclaws. "Bet you're going to fancy those sick days, eh, cousin?"

"I just escorted her back to the castle..."

"Excuses, excuses!" Freddie snorted, rolling his eyes at Liam. "Admit it, mate, you got a snog or two. It's perfectly fine! We're all handsome creatures here-well, maybe except Zabini. Dunno how that flobberworm ever got a girl like my sister-but we all enjoy a kiss and someone else's tongue once in a while! No need to be cavalier about it!"

"Pig-"Just in time to hear Freddie's macho-side proclaim itself, Nia threw the redhead a look of disgust. "Is that all you blokes ever think about? Snogging and feeling like the man? Ha. Half of you don't have a wand thick enough to handle a witch and all of a sudden you think you have the right to rant about what happens in a broomstick closet?"

Clearing his throat at the double-meaning behind Nia's words, Freddie wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Well, Harper darling, you make it quite difficult. With the lack of clothing and lacy bra underneath that wet shirt-"

_ Smack_.

"Oi! What was that for?" Freddie shouted, gripping the back of his head as both Nia and Albus retracted their fists away from him.

"_Weasley_-"Like a humorous scene from a muggle-film, most of all the necks that were inside of the room snapped towards the direction of the door. "Not you, _you_!"

"Me?" All Weasley's repeated.

"No, _tontos! Le hablo a ella!_"Ophelia De la Cruz sighed, moving her finger towards the redhead girl from the windowsill. "Rosie, _amor_-"

Baring her teeth like a bloodsucking creature, Harper was instantly gripped by the shoulders by Evanna Nott as the new Slytherin witch appeared calm and carefree into the room. Not even registering the couple she had broken apart. "...Yes?"My heart gave a loud lurching pull as the girl finally spoke; blessing my ears with the sound of her voice.

"Have you seen Hugo? I've got a few exams that I need to go over with him, but I can't find him anywhere."Ophelia said with a sweet-tone. "He said that he would be with his _familia_, and I've already checked with Roxanne, Lucy, and...that other little boy."

"Did you try Lily? They're sort of inseparable, you know?"Rose responded with a whisper.

"Miss Potter was...a little busy but-"With a devilish smirk on her face, De la Cruz stuck her head out from the doorframe, making her dark eyes invisible to the people inside. "_Amiga_, they haven't seen Hugo around. I suppose we have to do it on our own."

"Do you know where Ravenclaw tower is?" Olivia Boot's voice rang loud and distinguished from the accent-tainted one.

"_I_ know where it is..."Emerging into the room, a dirty-blonde witch stood side by side with Nia Harper's devil. Creating a hysterical beating sensation in my chest as her eyes sparked and went from my face to Rose's. "Is he there? I had checked the Common Room but it was vacant. I believe I've seen him with your brother, Andre, but that was before breakfast."

"-Would you look at that?" Nia interrupted, not even allowing the other Ravenclaw to speak as my skin began crawling from the sight of Madison Mulciber. "Are you two friends?" The blonde Gryffindor smiled, a twisted excitement on her face. "How... _lovely_."

"We better go then..."

"No, don't leave!" Nia chuckled darkly, halting Madison's silent reply. "Why are you running away now? I mean...Malfoy's right here. Oh...wait..Did you and your new friend suddenly develop a conscience and rather not see the faces of the girls you betrayed?"

"_Nia_..." Emily chirped, her expression looking worried as my heart dropped miserably from its' place.

"Potter's here too, you know, Ophelia? I can call you that right? I mean...we are practically considered _great_ friends! We both swapped spit from the same bloke. No shame in that right?" Harper continued.

"Piss off, Harper-"Madison snapped, her facade of the silent, shy, Ravenclaw far behind. "You don't know anything so I suggest you shut it before I have to do it for you!"

"I-I'm going to go..."

"Oh, sit down, Weasley!" The blonde Gryffindor hissed, directing her comment to Rose but not looking at her as Ophelia rolled her eyes in annoyance. Muttering a few words in Spanish that none of us picked up, but that made Albus lower his head in shame. "If anyone needs to leave, it has to be the trashy wenches!"

"I d-don't want to be here, Nia..." Rose mumbled, picking up her schoolbag as she finally left her seat by the window. "Honestly, it's fine..."

"Rose-" My chair flying backwards. "Please...don't go..."

"For the Dark Lord's sake..."Madison scoffed, her stare piercing my Gryffindor and I. "You're quite pathetic if you take him back, Rose. A boy who can't even stand by what he did and needs to shed a few tears like a common schoolgirl-"

"_Silencio_!" Bright sparks flew from behind me, aimed at the girls by the doorframe; startling everyone inside the room by the shriek that broke out.

"Emily?" I gaped at my best friend with astound eyes as she kept her wand pointed forward. "Did you just-"

"It's just a charm, Scorpius." Emily shrugged, snaking one of her hands onto James's. (Who had a look of my-girlfriends'-a-badass-hell-yeah! written all over his face.) "It's not like I attacked her-But, if you don't get your move on, Mulciber, I _will_ curse you back to wherever it is you came from." Her emerald eyes glared at the Ravenclaw who was touching her lips in hysterics. "All of you! _Get out_!"

"Em-"

"Shut up, Rosie, or I'll send a well-aimed spell at you too." The American smiled, waving at us as everyone cleared out in one swift second. Leaving that redheaded girl and me behind...

"Rose-"

"Forget it, Scorpius..." The girl in front of me said in a low trembling voice, shaking her red waves with a indescribable expression.

"But Rose-"

"I don't want to know..."

"Rose...come on...I-I didn't do anything..."I murmured, my throat igniting in flames and painfully spitting out my words. "I swear I d-didn't..Look, if you _let_ me explain..."I paused, taking the courage that had been rubbed-off on me from all the Gryffindors I befriended kick in, I took a shaky step forward. "I can tell you exactly what happened...I love you, R-Rose...You should know that I would _never _do anything to hurt you..."

Rose swallowed, her brown eyes glistening with flowing tears as I reached for her hand. "I never expected this to happen, Scorpius...I never thought you'd be the one who hurt me..."

"It was Amortentia, Rose!" I interjected rapidly, shaking my head before she even let the idea that I 'betrayed' her seep in. "She had converted it into a perfume...or _something_...The point is I inhaled it all day...I _t-thought_ I wanted to...but I would never kiss another girl, Rose, that wasn't you. I would never hurt you on purpose...I-"

"I _know_, Scorpius..."Rose muttered back, slapping a hand on my blabbering lips. "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose..."

"But then..."

"When dad had pulled Hugo and I out from Hogwarts when Dominique gave birth...I had a talk with my mum that day-"Rose whispered, her eyes glistening as she stared at me with such softness. Her furious, pained expression long behind. "She asked me...If I truly believed that you could possibly do that to me...She told me to look deep inside my heart and ask myself if I believed that you, the person I love the most, could ever _intentionally_ cause me such pain for just one kiss a-and..."She looked up, slowly moving her palm down my chin. "The truth is...I _don't_ believe that you would ever even make me cry, Scorpius..."

Feeling the tightness of my chest evaporate, finally letting me breathe, I snaked my arms around her waist. Reeling her in and holding her closely; a couple of seconds ticked by before I could even speak.

It had been days since I held her to me...Since I saw her beautiful orbs pierce into mine...Since her captivating scent sent my head rushing with bliss...It had been days since her warmth sparked my insides and made me feel alive...

"I love you so much, Rose Weasley...I would give my soul just to watch you smile. Never think that I would prefer anyone else...because no one else has my heart, Rose. _No one_. I can't imagine loving anyone else but you...because _you're_ my entire future.."

I placed my forehead on hers, watching her tears rush down her cheeks as her arms found their way around my neck. "I love you too, Scorpius...And I'm sorry for ever doubting you...I'm sorry for ever believing that Madison Mulciber-"

We both stopped breathing.

_One._

_ Two._

It didn't hurt. It didn't sting.

That name didn't feel like it was venom entering our bodies anymore.

It meant nothing.

It _was_ nothing.

Just an obstacle that has been conquered.

Inhale-Our lips met. My finger lifted her chin, pulling her mouth up to me until it was finally close enough. A second passed, I stared at the texture of her lips, just enjoying the erratic heartbeat in my chest. Letting the happiness and relief wash over me system. My heart felt like it was going to jump out and rush towards her...where it belonged. _She was home_-Our lips moved together and I felt like I was soaring through the Heavens. Like I had finally found my way back to paradise when the devil had deceived me to dark depths...but now _I_ was where I belonged.

"_Woooooooo_!"

"Freddie!"

"What? They're getting it on!"

"Oi, that's my cousin, Malfoy!"

"We're are definitely loads more adorable than those two, right, love?"

"I knew she'd forgive him."

"It wasn't his fault, Nia!"

"Love...it sickens me."

"Oh, don't be bitter, Nott!"

"We can be cuter, right, Liam?"

"Erm-"Rose and I broke our kiss just in time to watch my cousin flush deep red when Gracen Goyle peered up at him through her lashes.

"All of you need to learn to bugger off, you know?" Rose said sternly, her smile not matching her tone of voice. She leaned against my side, allowing my arm to keep her close to me. "It's rude to stubble in on someone when they are in the middle of a conversation."

"I do believe, cousin of mine, that you two were _no_ longer talking."

"And that's why we interrupted, moron!" Louis snapped at Freddie, his jealousy kicking in once more. (Seriously, where did he get the protective side?) "Snogging leads to touching, and that leads to locking yourselves in broomstick-closets, and then you find yourself in a bed that's not yours and has surely _never_ been blessed, and then you announce to the entire world that you're pregnant, then that ruddy idiot leaves your sister, and next thing you know he is back and she plans on taking Louis Junior and move far, far away!" (...Oh, that's where.)

"-James!" Disrupting the laughter that was about to commence, Lily Potter stormed inside the classroom. Her red hair damp and stuck to the sides of her face as she looked hysterically for her brother.

"Lils, what is it?" Louis responded, steadying his cousin before she could make it to her brother.

"Roxanne told me that she saw T-"

"_Teddy_?" I gasped, my eyes bulging as they scanned a wizard with blue-hair entering the classroom; accompanied by an elder witch.

"Teddy!" Rose shrieked at my side, her expression copying mine as Teddy Lupin came into clear view and the candle light illuminated his face. "What happened-Are you okay?"

The incoming wizard placed a shaky hand onto the deep gash on the right side of his face, making the dark purple rims from his eyes contrast with the pale skin of his knuckles.

He was injured; deeply wounded.

"Miss Potter-"Professor McGonagall called in a low, deep voice. Her aging face looking tired and in deep sorrow, was emphasized as her beady eyes shed discreet tears. "I need you to go collect your brother Albus, he was headed towards Gryffindor Tower a moment ago. The three of you shall leave with Mister Lupin immediately." She pointed two fingers at her and James.

"...Why?" Lily asked, her eyes contradicting the curious question. "Ted...what's wrong?"

Teddy looked away from his adoptive sisters' stare, thick tears falling from his eyes as the Headmistress tried to contain the emotions on her face. "Dad...Dad's been attacked, Lils..."

Before anyone else in the room could react to the words said by my blue-haired cousin, Emily and I looked up towards each other in a fragment of a second. Her hand gripped on to James's-as my arm locked securely over Rose's shoulder. Our eyes connected for a fraction of a second, disbelief written in both of our stares.

Trelawney had predicted something accurate for the first time in decades. And somehow it was always precise when it came to Mister Potter-a fatal incident had indeed happened.

* * *

** AN/ Dun. Dun. Dun.**

**Next Chapter: Third POV  
**


	33. Fate on an old September Day

**Third POV**

People rushed in and out of the entrance doors-Healers and patients pacing around the room without color. Movement happened all around; talking, whispering, smiling, crying...everyone in the building except for her.

She was sitting there-all alone and with barely any life.

She sat on that cold chair with her pale arms crossed upon her chest; brown eyes brimmed with red-puffiness and staring at the tiled floor with a blank look. Her usually cheerful expression was torn and devastated. She was not the same girl from before; no longer that teenaged girl who was filled with courage, undefinable love, and strength.

No...not anymore.

The years had not gone in vain-they had taken everything she used to be from her. She was the shell of her youthful self, and was something totally different from what her memory serves her.

She recalls fire burning in her eyes, flames igniting and living in her veins, a heart beating with a strong life. She was the description of survival and will. She was made of the purest emotions, wrapped in steel. Soft hazel eyes capable of narrowing and sending anyone straight to the depths of hell if she wanted flaming hair that match the sparks of fire when her anger was set loose and ready to destroy anything in her way...

She was the girl with shinning hope.

She was Ginny Weasley-but not anymore.

Due to the circumstances that were brought by fate into her life, the youngest Weasley child had fallen in love. So easily and quickly, without even asking or dreaming about her future Prince Charming.

Nope. Not her.

Ginerva was not the type of little girl to sit around her room playing with rag dolls and imagining them to come to life and drink tea with her; most certainly she was not one to think about boys and the emotions they stirred in girls. She hated the species-well, she was more annoyed with them really. She had been surrounded by boys since birth and all she wanted to do was to prove to them that she could be just as strong...just as determined. She stacked all her dolls into a trunk and hid it underneath her bed, preferring to be outside the gardens of the Burrow and finding what neat tricks her uncontrolled magic was up to that day or wrestling with her brothers until one of them finally decided to let her play Quidditch with the 'men' of the family.

So when, in the days she accompanied her parents to Platform Nine and Three-quarters, did she ask for a messy-haired, muggle-raised, completely-lost, antisocial, bespectacled boy to come into her life?

Exactly-_never_.

So, as easily as he came, was it any shock that after all the brutal attempts to stay alive and fight for what fate had thrown her way that Ginny Weasley faded along with all of the dead of the Second Great War and became Ginny Potter?

That's when it happened...when she first said 'I do' and accepted everything that came with the boy and everything that would soon come, that she had transformed into someone new.

She was a wife, a lover, a best friend, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a godmother, and an expecting mother...It was time to change into someone capable of handling all that...Leaving behind her erratic attitude with her memories of the D.A and the Order of the Phoenix far behind and long forgotten.

She had finally come to an understanding of why her own mother was the way she was...Of how, with the years, she had lost all that spunk that her father used to tell her her mother had. She finally came to terms that there was no room to be the wickedly awesome mother...you _had_ to protect the ones you loved the most. You had to put your foot down, had to encourage responsibility and security...Had to keep everyone united; the family as one. She could not be her teenaged self again...She couldn't raise a family, keep a husband, with the fight in her blood burning bright and attempting to stop evil from the world...She needed to protect _hers_...and that's when she had lost the strength...When she had lost the meaning of being willing to be rebellious and spit on the world with in-your-face attitude...

She was crazy, yes, that would never change-but she had trusted the comfort of the new world that she hadn't known what profound fear was again. She had relied that everything was going to be in harmony...that there was no dangers that she or her family were capable of overcoming...They had already lost, already suffered, already cried...The world couldn't be crueler than that, could it?

Yes...it could.

Ginny Potter sat on her metallic chair barely feeling the seconds tick on by as she focused her mind somewhere far, far away. She just sat there...not even making an effort to breathe as life slipped away from her. Because, technically, she _did_ sit there with her heart beating fully and blood flowing smoothly to all the right places to keep her pulse going...but...somewhere in a room of the Hospital her world was barely shinning.

At any given moment she waited for someone in a bright colored robe to come out and announce to her that her stars faded and stopped spewing their light. That everything had turned dark and that all the bright lights that decorated her universe had become extinguished. That her home, her heart...had gone up in flames and was nothing more than ashes piled on the floor.

"_Ginny_!"

Summoning enough energy to look up, force that felt like she was pushing a muggle-car with only a finger, the redheaded woman found an elder witch racing in through the exit of the Floo Network. Her bushy hair looking wild; matching the stare of hysteria on her wrinkly face as other familiars started tracing after her steps.

Ginny Potter stood weakly from her chair, her eyes roaming all the faces that had popped from all directions...including the ones of her brothers that were barely being spat out by the fireplaces, she finally focused her eyes... Contacted them with a pair she desperately needed to see. "...M-Mum..." She exhaled the broken word, her knees giving up as her mother wrapped supporting arms around her. Both of the first original Weasley women falling to the floor without any effort to keep them up.

"Ginerva _no_-"Molly Weasley hissed at her daughter with blinding tears, pushing her head a few inches back and sweeping all the strands of hair away from her daughters' face. Exposing her freckles to herself and the people before them. "Lift your head up, sweetheart. It's going to be alright..."

Closing her eyes tightly, Ginny shook her head. Letting all those tears she had contained since she had received the Patronus from her brother, informing her about the accident as she was preparing dinner for that night.

"Ginny, listen, darling-"This time her father spoke; placing a soft hand on her shoulder as Hermione's sobs were quietly heard in the thick silence between the group. Her husband quickly coming to her side and pulling an arm over her shoulder, trying to comfort her as she shook her brown hair and placed a hand over her mouth to diminish her cry. "No one has said anything yet about Harry's state...Please, control yourself. Nothing is known...don't expect for the worst already, dear."

"Dad..I..H-Harry..." Ginny let out another sob, turning her face away from the view of all of the people gathered around her.

"B-Bill, _demande elle ce qu'est arrivé!S'il vous plaît, I. I. ..I doit savoir!_" Fleur Weasley cried, covering her face with her palms as she refused to stare at her sister-in-law look beyond repair.

"Fleur wants to know, Gin, like all of us...What happened?" Bill, her older brother, asked. Trying his hardest to keep his composure as his little sister suffered a few inches from him. "We just got the Patronus from Ron, who received it from Teddy...How did H-Harry-"

"Lily!"

"Mum! Mum! Mummy-"Not noticing when the fireplace near by started to burn emerald, Ginny Potter was caught off guard as her daughter ran out of the flames with incredible speed. Stopping before the group with her pale expression looking frantic as she separated herself from the people she had arrived with. "...Mum..." Lily inhaled, looking exactly as her mother had as both their eyes connected and people congregated behind her. Her brothers walking away from the Floo and lining up with her; all of them connecting their eyes with the brown ones of Ginny.

Mrs. Potter felt a soft pat on her back, her own mother signaling her to get up from the floor. "Go to your children, Ginerva." Molly whispered, her aging hands cupping her only daughter's face and staring at her with all her might. Almost as if in that way all of _her_ faith...her strength would be passed through Ginny to be delivered to her grandchildren.

And as quickly as Ginny's feet touched the tiled floor, she was bombarded with her three children. "D-Daddy, mum! _My daddy_!" Lily cried, clutching on to her mother with a vigorous need as she felt the oxygen inside of St. Mungos to be incredibly thick.

Smoothing out the red hair from Lily's back, Ginerva took a deep felt it now-felt what she had lost.

Strength, faith, hope.

She had never lost it, just misplaced it. She had it all along..._She_ was the strength that kept her kids together. That kept them believing...That showed them that although the days could be dark and blinding, there was _always_ a light not far behind. She lived for her children...for her husband...for her family. And that was enough reason to fight and kill for.

"...Teddy?" Mrs. Potter whispered, looking up to the blue-haired man standing as far away from the family as possible. His foot practically lost in the flames of the Floo Network as his bottom lip trembled and the blood at the right side of his face drenched along his neck. "What are you doing?"

"I-I'm so sorry, m-mum..."Teddy muttered with a ragged, defeated voice. His tears dropping from his eyes without any hesitance. "I d-didn't mean to...I thought dad was shielded a-and when they had cornered Mister Malfoy and I a-attempted to t-take them out I didn't notice t-that d-dad escaped and...He was c-cursed trying to defend m-me..._I'm sorry, _mum. I'm sorry!"

"Get over here, Teddy." Mrs. Potter snapped, her tears halting themselves as she figured she no longer had the choice to cry, that was for her children to do. And she was placed there to wipe them, not to ignite them. "_Now_, boy."

James captured Lily between his arms, allowing space for the oldest of the Potter children, biological or not, to enter the circle and embrace the woman that kept them together. "I'm sorry, mum..." Teddy repeated again.

"Shh."Ginny silenced him, gripping her adoptive son roughly as he cried uncontrollably into her arms. "Shh, Ted. It's _not_ your fault...Your father was just trying to protect you...It's what he does the best...He's a father first, Teddy, and an Auror next when you two are in a dangerous situation due to work..._Understand_ that..."

"What happened to D-Draco?" Hermione asked, finally able to speak without her sobs getting in the way. "Is he here? Where is-"

"Draco's at the Ministry-"Ron replied to his wife, giving her shoulder a squeeze as if to ease her worry for their ex-enemy. "After Harry...fell..He managed to stun the rest of the revolters and he bind them straight to the cells of the Ministry...He's waiting to hear from the Minister for the transfer to Azkaban..but..."

"But?" Hermione pressed. "But _what_, Ronald?"

"Emilio Del la Cruz wants to wait...to see if the prisoners are sentence to a few years in Azkaban Prison or...given the Dementor's kiss if...if Harry...if Harry doesn't make it."The redheaded man turned away from his wife, not daring to meet her eyes as they filled with tears once more and he spoke of a tragic end to their friendship with the Chosen One.

"My dad _is_ going to-"

"Angelina!" Ginny hissed, silencing Lily's about-to-be protest towards her Uncle Ron. She looked away from her children and onto the tall, dark woman that came from one of the many halls of St. Mungos with her redheaded husband in tow. "What happened? Did they let you in? Did you see Harry?"

Ginny Potter looked at her sister-in-law with heavy anticipation as her family took her children from her arms: her mother taking Lily, her father gripping James with more force as he refused to be pulled away, Bill prying a still-sobbing Teddy; only leaving Albus to stand blankly next to her.

"...Angelina?" Molly whispered, her eyes looking firmly at her daughter-in-law as no words came out from her mouth. "Did they let you see my Harry?"

"Obviously, they let her! She _is_ a Healer here, isn't she!" Ron snapped, as he too sent daggers at George's wife. Panic secretly making itself up his spine."_Well_?"

"It took a lot of persuasion to get her inside, Ron-"George hissed back at his younger sibling, growing inflamed as his tone was a bit too crude towards his wife. "Angelina was assisting a birth when I came barging in there telling her that Harry was brought here, already being treated by _other_ Healers! You just don't go interrupting another Healer's work and expect to be allowed in with a bloody grin!"

"It's _family_, George!" Ron retorted back. "I don't give a damn if you have to jump over someone's grandmummy, _you find out_!"

"_Shut your bloody traps_!" Bill roared, silencing the two fighting brothers. The raging werewolf in him screaming as his fury poked through his scarred expression. "...Angelina, what happened when you got to see Harry?"

"He was cursed heavily..."Angelina finally spoke, her dark eyes turning away from Bill as Teddy groaned into another whimper and she directed them to a silent Ginny. "The Healers couldn't pin-point exactly what the curses were...They reckon it was a mixture of Dolohov's Curse with a newly created one...The damage was nothing they had ever seen before and...a-and.."

"..._And_?" Ginny muttered, taking one step away from Albus.

"The Healers don't know if Harry's immune system was weakened by one of the curses...as a desired outcome from the ones who cast it...or if he has just-"Angelina swallowed the knot in her throat, never expecting that she would be in this place. Never, in her wildest imagination, assuming that in her profession she had to be the one to tell Ginny Potter that her husband... "He's grown too tired, Gin...The Healers think that Harry's body, mental and physical, is _too_ tired to fight anymore...Harry has gone through a lot throughout his life...and the Healers believe his heart is done...That there is no more in him to keep him...to keep him breathing on his own..."

Ginny pressed her lips into a tight line, refusing to let that lurching sensation from crawling up her insides and invading everything that held a hope. "Harry has us, Angelina...Those Healers are wrong...Harry is not done fighting...He still has a lifetime ahead of him...He..has _me_...He still needs to watch his children grow into fine wizards and an exceptional witch...Harry is _not_ done... They know_ nothing..._"

George stepped away from his wife's side and went directly to his sister. Gripping her by the waist and pulling her towards him, leaving his nephew to stand alone. "Harry will be fine, Gin. We know that...The git still has to pay me for those Canary-Cream Pies he took from the shop to surprise Malfoy last week...And we got a Quidditch match that he surely is not going to get out of...I've got ten galleons riding on him that the Youngest Seeker of the Century can beat Charlie's record anyplace, anytime." Squeezing her shoulder, trying to maintain and make the spark of faith burn a bit brighter, George turned to his wife. "Tell her, Ange...Tell her Harry will be alright..."

All eyes turned to the ex Angelina Johnson, all of them looking at her with expecting stares and hopeful faces.

There was always a downside to being in the Medical Field, muggle or with magic.

There was always a reason why saving lives just wasn't enough...It never compared to the days there were worlds to crush..When having saved one beating heart didn't compare to the everlasting guilt when others stopped...

"If the remedies, potions...or incantations do not make effect in _two_ days...There is n-no...there is no chance that Harry will make it...He's running out of time..."

The world blew up; the stars dropped from the sky and exploded everywhere.

Ginny Potter fell to the floor, her knees giving up once more...but this time her cries weren't the ones that were heard-Lily, Teddy, James, and even Hermione were the ones sobbing with hysterics...She just kneeled there, with her brother clutching her tightly and her mother rushing to her side once more...She could sense the movement all around her...She could see the pained faces...but _nothing_.

She couldn't hear anything...not even her banging heart...Nothing came in. No emotions, no cries from the others. Nothing was heard by Ginny. Except, _how_ can you hear anything if the reason for you to live, to breathe, to react...if your sky had fallen and destroyed everything?

How could she listen to anything, if her time was running out too?

* * *

** AN/ =[ **

**I hate doing this but...it just happens you know? **

**I actually felt proud of this chapter so...Yay me! (Oh, what don't judge me? It's my story! xP lol ;D)**

**Next Chapter: Lily and Albus POV  
**


	34. The Young and the Reckless

**Lily's POV**

_'Daddy?'_

_ 'Yes, Lils?'_

_ 'Why can't I go to Hogwarts too? Why did James get to go first, and now Al does? Why can't _I_ go?'_

_ Emerald eyes looked through the mirror of the master bedroom, looking at a little redheaded girl who sat with arms crossed over her chest and a deep frown on her face. Her legs swinging off the edge of the bed as she couldn't reach the floor yet. 'We went over this, remember, sweetheart? You're too young to go to Hogwarts. You've got to wait the right amount of time until you can contain your magic.'_

_ 'But I can already control my magic!' The little girl protested, glaring at the reflection of her father as he attempted to comb his messy hair. 'Mum's been teaching me a-and she said that I am really good! Last time James made the kitchen table burst into flames when he was angry and he was a first year! I've never done anything like that! I think my Auntie Minerva should let me in!'_

_ The man laughed lightly, shaking his head at the girl. 'As much as the Headmistress can't wait for you to go to Hogwarts, Lily, you just can't. You're too young-'_

_ 'You just don't _want_ me to go!' Lily's brown eyes glared even rougher at her father. Her cheeks already turning scarlet from her anger. 'You just want me to stay here forever! Why, daddy? Why are you so mean?'_

_ 'You're my little girl, Lils.'_

_ Catching her by surprise with his words, Lily's aggravated stare disappeared. 'Yeah...but I'll come back, daddy. Just like James does every Holiday...I'll come back-' The redhead girl jumped from the bed, taking light steps towards her father. 'It's kinda like when _you_ go to work, daddy. I don't want you to leave but you do anyway.'_

_ 'But I've gotta help Uncle Ron, don't I?" The man turned from the mirror, disregarding the comb as he looked at the young face before him. 'And what business do you have in Hogwarts anyway? I'll buy you the entire world, sweetheart.'_

_'Ha. Ha.-'Sarcasm bubbled on Lily's face. 'You've always said to me, daddy, that Hogwarts is important for us. And that we _have_ to go...You don't have to help Uncle Ron...He can do it himself.'_

_ The bespectacled man smiled, squatting down in front of his daughter. 'Let's make a deal, shall we, Lils?' He extended his pink palm forward, a few inches in the middle of the distance that separated them. 'If you, my little girl, promise to come back just as whole as when you left, I promise I'll always come back from the Ministry just the same.'_

_ Lily lifted her eyebrow, staring at the palm suspiciously. 'You've got to come back anyways, daddy. What would mummy do if you didn't?-But, _deal_!' She laughed, slapping her own palm onto her fathers'. 'No take backs!'_

_ 'I love you, Lils-'_

_ 'Love you too, daddy.' Lily laughed along with her father, taking his hand as he stood and they began walking out of the room. Both of them hearing the shouts of 'James! Leave Albus alone! He'll get sorted into whatever bloody house he gets sorted into!' _

My eyes snapped open, waking me from the dream. Tears damping my cheeks as my breath caught in my throat as I took in the surroundings.

He had promised...

"You look just like your mother when she was young-"Registering that my head was on my grandmother's lap, Molly Weasley ran her fingers gently through my hair. Lightly caressing my scalp as I focused my stare on the small patch of white fabric from the couch in the Waiting Room of St. Mungos that my body left visible. Trying to control the ragged air that wouldn't calm. "Hair so red, cheeks freckled, eyes so light...Of course she hated it all, your mum. She was really picky about her appearance...She hated looking like a typical redheaded doll..." Grandmum paused, a light chuckle escaping from her lips. "I remember when Angelina told her she was having a girl...She cried about her daughter looking like a doll...She wanted _you_ to be different...And when you were born, you gave a slight resemblance to Lily Evans, which thrilled Ginny, of course...Until she got a real good look at you..."

Stirring from my side-position, I turned my wet eyes up at my grandmother. Waiting a moment, just to see if her eyes came back to life as she lost herself in a memory-they never did. "Grandmum?" My groggy voice sounded; I shook the arm she had wrapped around my waist lightly. "Grandmum...?"

"Harry picked you up...Cradled you in his arms; _terrified_..." She muttered, barely audible. "He took you towards your mother and said to her... 'Gin, she looks just like you.' Your mum had frowned at him...she wanted you to be exactly like Lily, _different_...She didn't want you to be as simple as her...And, of course, Harry had to change her mind about it...He said...He said, 'She's young, just a few hours old, Gin, but she has that fire burning in her eyes...She already has that will to live radiating all over her tiny body...She's a true Weasley at heart...And that's where her inner beauty lies...Because she looks _just_ like you'..."

My eyes remained on the serious facial expression on my grandmother's face, watching as her brown eyes started glistening from the story she was recalling.

"Your father knew then, Lils, that you were in the path to be such a strong girl...Just like my Gin..."She smiled a watery smile, lowering her head just a bit so our visions would collide. "The both of you have that fiery attitude...and you two can overcome _anything_..Faith is for the strong-hearted, Lily. Please remember that...because if you lose it you are just as weak as the common person...And you'd never get to see the light without faith..."

"-Stop it, Victoire." Looking away from my grandmother as her words stung me, I saw Teddy push my cousins' hand away from his face.

"But, Teddy, you're hurt. Let me clean the wounds, they'll get infected. And if that gash was created by magic, chances are there will be scarring after this. Just-"

"_I said I'm fine_!" Teddy hissed, standing up quickly from the metallic chair. Slightly shoving Victoire back from him, taking steps away from her and the potions she attempted to clean him with. (Hmph. It had to be tough to be married to a soon-to-be Healer.)

"Victoire, 'oney-"Sitting a few chairs away from the newly married couple, my Aunt Fleur motioned her oldest daughter to her with her index finger. "Come 'ere. Teddy just needs to 'andle diz on 'is own."

"Mum-"Feeling no remorse of the way he had spoken to Victoire, Teddy dashed out of his new seat when our mother had turned the corner. "How is she Aunt Hermione?"Teddy asked my Aunt, wrapping his arm around mum's shoulder and steering her away from Aunt Hermione's hold.

"The same, Ted. I tried to get her to eat something but she refused to. So it was just an unimportant walk to the Cafeteria."

_Crack!_

"What are _you_ doing here?" Louis snapped, his eyes hardening as he had just entered the Waiting Room with foamed-cups of tea in both his hands. "Shouldn't you be somewhere in Bulgaria, freezing little Louis and enjoying _my_ magical trunk?"

"Shut up, idiot." Dominique hissed back, rolling her eyes as she was settled on her feet from the side-long apparation she had just made with Derrick Rowle.

"Technically, Weasley, we're not moving to Bulgaria-"

"No one asked you, Rowle. This is between my sister and I!"

"_Louis_!" Uncle Bill growled, rubbing his eyes from the quick nap he had taken as he awakened by the arguing of his children.

"...Aunt Gin?" Ignoring the daggers that Louis was throwing at her and her boyfriend, Dominique lowered herself on the floor in front of my mother. Placing her hands on my mum's legs to hold herself up as they stared at each other. "Come off it, Aunt Ginny...You _know_ that Uncle Harry will be just fine...Do you honestly believe that after all that time he spent trying to defeat the Dark Forces he is going to let a group of pathetic wizards take him out? _Please_. He'll have people waiting for him on the entrance doors of Heaven, cursing him _back_ to this world. He's not ready to go yet..."

"Thanks for coming, Dom-"Mum muttered, squeezing one of Dominique's dimly through her sickly looking face. "But you really shouldn't have, darling. Angelina told you that you were to remain in bed, and...where's Dustin?"

"In Bulgaria inside of my magical trunk, probably!"

"Shut up, Louis-"I hissed, my irritation sparking up as I got up from my Grandmum's lap; heading towards the open seat that Teddy left by my mum. "If you even mention Bulgaria one more time, I'll have Aunt Hermione ship you to Viktor Krum's international bootcamp for daft wizards!"

Squeezing my knee as soon as I sat down, Dominique threw a sneer at her brother. "Dustin's with his Uncle Rex, if you must know. Derrick's family was helping us move in to our new place, and as soon as we got the message from Uncle George, Rex offered to take care of Dustin without bitching every second."

"I do not bitch!" Louis shouted, earning a few frowns and glares from the Healers, assistants,Aunt Fleur, Victoire, Grandmum Molly, and Uncle Bill. "And who the bloody hell is Rex?"

"My brother." The former Slytherin raised his finger, looking at his future brother-in-law with a puzzled expression.

"Attempting to replace me, eh?" Louis's face turned to a look of disbelief, probably panicking that Dominique was going to switch her mind and name her son Dustin Rex Rowle. (Oh, the horror.)

"-Just settle down you lot!"

"No pushing!"

"You pushed first, Parker!"

"You stole my sweets!"

"Hermione, you left Ron and Draco alone with the kids?" Grandmum Molly asked, sighing as her son looked ready to curse the group in front of him and Mister Malfoy pushed Scorpius away from Rose as they kept attempting to sit on top of each other.

"...Hey, Lily." What came next of Aunt Hermione's response was unheard by me as a brunette boy took over my sight. His brown eyes looking deep into mine as his soft voice graced my ears. "...Care for a walk?"

I nodded my head as my cousins and friends packed the Waiting Room, some of them arguing and others stuffing their faces with candy from the cafeteria. I looked over at mum and watched as she was surrounded by Teddy, James, and Emily. All of them holding her with care and support-she'd be fine.

And now it was time for my escape.

~*!~*!~*!~*!~*!~*!~

One-thousand and three.

One-thousand and four.

One-thousand and five.

One-thousand and six.

One-thousand and seven.

Groaning internally, I turned my neck towards the wizard sitting next to me. His shoulder barely touching mine as he kept his distance as we sat with our backs pressed on the white-walls of an empty corridor of St. Mungo's.

"So, how are you feeling?"

A small smile broke out across my face; reflecting on his. We had spoken at the same time, exactly how we used to do it before we attempted to break the barrier that kept us together. When everything was fresh and less dramatic.

"How are _you_ feeling, Lily?" Liam asked, breaking the silence that he had kept on those thousand seconds ago.

"I dunno..."I breathed, playing with my fingers as emotions ran through my blood. "I n-never pictured that I'd be here, you know? I-I never imagined that I would be sitting outside hoping that my dad..."

Liam's hand twitched as I paused, almost as if he was going to move his hand from his lap and direct it towards me.

"Everyone has always seen my dad like the hero...As if he was immortal and like he was this amazing bloke that could take on anything in the world...I had spent years trying to get all the attention off because I was _that_ mans' daughter...Always groaning about his stupid fame when in reality-"I swallowed the lump in my throat, moving my gaze from Liam and onto the tiled floor beneath us. "...When in reality, I always saw him as _invincible_...I had heard the stories, Liam. I knew that my dad was capable of surviving _anything_...But now he's in a hospital room fighting for his l-life."

And the tears came to betray me, destroying any kind of strong facade I was trying to keep.

"Shh, Lils-" Liam muttered, erasing that inch that separated us. He threw his arm around my shoulders and reeled me in. Letting me bury my face into his chest, spewing my tears into his shirt as his chin stood on my head. "It's going to be okay...Mister Potter is going to be just fine...He'll be walking out of the room as the invincible man he is, Lily."

Lifting my face away from the place where his heart beats, I looked up at my ex boyfriend. Staring profoundly into his bottomless eyes; letting them wash over me and take the pain that was living underneath my skin.

He always made me feel better.

There was nothing that Liam Greengrass couldn't make appear better. I was the poison...and he was the cure. He was everything pure, and he brightened up my life and made my dark days seem like the things from the past.

...And I had let that go.

"L-Liam..."I whispered his name, tracing my fingers on the side of his right cheek. "Are you dating Gracen Goyle?"

His eyes opened a fragment more, shock seeping in. "_What_?"

"Are you dating Goyle? I've been seeing you around with her much more lately...And I _was_ aware that both of you didn't hold a close friendship so...I just thought that maybe...you were trying to talk to her..."

One-thousand and eight.

One-thousand and nine.

One-thousand and ten.

"I'm _trying_ to date her-"He said straightforwardly after a few seconds of silence. "She's been around me quite a lot recently and...I like the way she is. She's an incredible girl...always smiling and laughing, bringing me with her in every cheerful mood that she has...We haven't progressed to anything yet because Grace wants to take it slow...Says she wants to get to know me better before we could be together."

"_Let go of me_-"I hissed, pushing myself away from his arm. Kicking his leg to scoot as far from him as I could; my anger rushing in like a flash of light. "You are an idiot, Liam! Of course you are dating that daft Ravenclaw! You spent days and days crying over me, and all of a sudden you forget me that easily? _Liar_! You are a liar! You never loved me as much as you said!"

"Where the hell is this coming from, Lily?" Liam snapped back, standing up at the same time as I did. "What did you want me to do? To suffer for you forever? To spend my days locked in my dormitory while you were out there with Octavio Del la Cruz getting what you always wanted?"

"Maybe if _you_ would have given me the type of attention that I wanted I wouldn't have left you!" I retorted, my fury bubbling. "But, _no_, you can't! Your bloody good-mannered side never let you touch me...You never could treat me like your girlfriend instead of a precious object! You deserve _Grace_, both of you are as prude as there can be!"

"You're right, Lily-"Liam chuckled darkly, his sarcasm engulfing his face as he looked far more angry than I did. "I _do_ deserve Gracen. I've _always_ deserved a girl like Gracen Goyle. Amazing, sweet, selfless, happy, grateful for what she had..."

"-_Oh, how sweet_."

"I don't know how I ever got landed with you. You were a mistake from the beginning-" My heart stopped. "I should have never dated such a little girl. I should have listened to your cousins...Nothing good was going to come from dating such a young witch." He spat his acid-filled words, walking past me as he left me without motion.

Everything froze.

...Why was I running out of air?

* * *

**Albus's POV**

_Crash. Crash._

My chest heaved. My heart raced. My anger boiled. My palms were sweaty. My body was shaking. My throat was burning. My insides were aching. My mind was tired.

I was defeated.

Taking in as much needed intake of air, I glared my eyes at the broken fragments of glass splattered all over my room.

I stood in the middle; my vision erratic as it moved all over my surroundings. Registering every single thing that was out of place:_everything_. The posters of Puddlemere United were ripped off from where they were pinned on my walls. Sheds of their decoration laying crumpled on the floor, accompanied by everything that was inside of my drawers. My trunk was overturned, my books torn, my guitar broken into an oddly shaped log.

I had wrecked everything, including the mirror that was on the furthest corner of my wall.

It mocked me, just when I wanted to be on my own. It taunted me, glowing in the moonlight and spitting my reflection back at me without sympathy. It made those green eyes on my face sparkle like brilliant emeralds; even highlighting the messy strands of dark hair that would never cooperate and stuck out in different directions from the back...

It needed to be destroyed, you get it now?

_ 'James! Pick up a rag and help your Grandmum clean!'_

_ 'I can't! Can't you see I'm having a moment here, woman? _You_ clean!'_

_ A silence took the hectic commotion by surprise as James Potter answered back to his mother; his infuriated hazel eyes seen narrowing at the redheaded woman from a garden chair a few feet away from her. Everyone stopped on the tasks that they were doing, even the guest that were 'politely' assisting to help the Weasley's arrange their Burrow back to it's table-free way. _

_ 'Boy, you better have an injury deep enough that not even Merlin can help you fix-'Ginny Potter hissed, her elderly mother nodding her head in agreement to the strict-tone of her voice. 'Or I will put you in St. Mungos and no one will see you until hell freezes over!'_

_ 'I'm broken hearted here! Quit being insensitive, Ginerva, I'm emotionally exhausted!'_

_ '-Escaping the war?'_

_ Not bothering to turn to the voice that had crept into the scene he was watching, a younger Albus Severus nodded at the comment. 'Not even because it's Easter does James shut his mouth. He better hope Grandmum Molly doesn't scrub out his mouth with a bar of soap again.'_

_ A bespectacled man chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he remembered that he had named his eldest son perfectly well. He had every bit of James and Sirius in him. 'Something the matter, son?'_

_ Raising his eyebrow at the direct question from his father, Albus looked at the man in confusion as he scooted on the brick-made-surface of the roof of the Burrow to allow room for his father to sit. 'Why do you say that?'_

_ 'I heard you retort and frown all day, Al-' Harry Potter said sincerely, stretching his legs forward and feeling free as they hung from the edge of the roof. ''I know the way you act when something is wrong. You get angry and then hide from the rest of the world...'_

_ 'Just like you, I reckon...'Al smirked dimly, moving his inherited emerald eyes towards the hills passing his grandparents home. 'At least that's what I hear all the time...'_

_ Mister Potter gave a solemn nod, not letting his disappointment show on his face. He rather not have his youngest son ever make that comparison-there were things Harry had done in his lifetime that he would never want Al to be connected to. 'Evanna Nott seems like a really lovely girl, son. I'm a bit surprised, if I might say, that she ended up being decent considering who her father is.'_

_ 'Yeah...'_

_ 'Truly well-mannered girl...But you don't love her do you?'_

_ Al widened his eyes; snapping them towards his father. Shock evident on his face. (Oh, he was _too_ good.) 'H-How do you...Erm...I'm just barely getting to know her.'_

_ 'I overheard Rose and Scorpius talk about the kiss you shared a couple of hours ago with Nia Harper-' Harry pressed his lips in a tight line, trying to contain the laughter as Albus turned a dark red color. 'Feeling pretty guilty, eh?'_

_ 'It shouldn't be this hard, should it, dad? I mean...' Al contracted his palms into fists. His anger seeping through his skin as he recalled the heavenly moment he had just shared with his long-term friend. 'Evanna is amazing...She really is...but then...I never realized the sort of hold Nia had over me...'_

_ 'Love is complicated, Al-' Mister Potter's eyes turned away from his son, giving the boy a chance to let his embarrassment fade away. 'It's a true emotion that _can't_ be faked. It comes from the purest part of your heart...Something so grand that can heal your wounds, save your soul...your life. It can be mistaken, of course, but when you _feel_ it...When you're with that person...your heart goes erratic. You can't even begin to explain what you feel, all you can do is let the rush take its' course... And when you let that happen...everything else falls into place...' Emerald eyes landed on a redhead below; watching her stand mighty and tall in the moonlight as the breeze of the night blew her fiery hair all around her. _

_ 'You were in love with her before you knew it, right?' Al asked after a few seconds of silence, moving his stare to where his father had lost his. _

_ 'It took years to notice her, Albus. She was always just a friend...My best mates' sister...'Harry smiled, his heart still beating fast at the mere sight of his wife. Just like it did all those years ago. 'Love is worth fighting for, son. It's worth giving up the only thing you have just to see it bloom..._Remember that_. Because once you find true love...all the stars seem to shine with much more brilliancy.'_

_ 'But what if I were to make a mistake...I-I...I don't want to hurt her-' Albus paused, his eyebrow rising high on his forehead as he heard his own comment. 'I don't want to hurt _either_ of them...I...I want Nia to be happy, and if I were to...you know...I won't be able to live with myself if I were to hurt her, dad. I...She means so much to me..._apparently_.'_

_ Mister Potter laughed at the snort coming from his son. 'Sometimes it is unavoidable to hurt the ones you love, Albus, but when you do and you truly feel it, all you can do is ask for forgiveness...And if that doesn't work, you do whatever it is you can do to make them happy.' He reached over and clapped Al hard on the back. 'Fight for love, Al.'_

_ Before Al could even reply to his fathers' obvious indirect advice of choose-Nia, He was interrupted by a strong shout. 'Harry James Potter! You have not cleaned that kitchen!'_

_ 'I've been caught!' Albus laughed loudly as his father scrambled onto his feet, running back towards the opposite end of the roof. _

"For Merlin's sake-" With eyes squinting from the emerald flames that suddenly started glowing in my room, I knitted my eyebrows as I watched a body leap out. Coughing thickly as ashes surrounded the section. "Don't you ever clean your fireplace, Potter? It's a damn mess."

My heart gave one loud _thump_ as I sat on the furthest corner of my destroyed room, feeling like the world was spinning uncontrollably around me. "...W-What are you...what're you doing here?" I murmured, staring at the blue eyes that found their way towards mine in the dim moonlight.

"I arrived at St. Mungos twenty minutes ago, giving my deep support to your mother and your entire family..I _waited_, and finally Lucy tells me that you have not been at the hospital since Teddy pulled you out from Hogwarts..."Seeing the tension on her face but completely ignoring it, Nia Harper took hesitant steps towards me. Her gaze frowning in disapproval as she kicked a few of my items from her path.

My stare was kept on Nia's pale face as she reached me; my heart still pounding loudly in my chest like I was about to go into cardiac-arrest.

"...What did you _do_ to this place, Al?" Nia asked in a whisper, she reached for a broken picture-frame and spent a few seconds looking at the picture. I quickly followed her gaze and noticed that you could hardly see the two people in it, just a tiny fragment of a younger me with an un-hospitalized father. "You've got to get out of here, Albus."

I swallowed the pressure building in my throat, ignoring the burning behind my eyes as she returned her blue-eyes to me.

"...You need to be with your family...Take the Floo, go with your mum, and I shall clean this mess up as much as I can. I don't want your mum to come home and murder you for what you did."

"There's no use-"I snapped, suddenly feeling the pressure lash out. "I'm not going to a hospital to have my Aunt Angelina tell us how sorry she is when dad doesn't make it back." I reached forward from my place on the floor and pushed the frame from her hands.

"Al-"

"I'm not going to try and pull on a face of faith when my father is dying!"

_ Smack_.

"_Are you an idiot_?" Nia hissed, her palm moving away from my cheek as the stinging of her unexpected slap started tingling my skin. "Or did this just suddenly come to surface like every stupid thing you have done lately?"Her index finger poked my chest as I glared at her, not letting it intimidate her as she drilled it harder into my bones. "Your mother needs all the support she can get, Albus, and you should be there with her! Not locked in your house attempting to destroy it with the moments of anger that come out of you!"

"Mum needs to come home! There is _no_ hope for dad!" I shouted back at her, shoving her back a few centimeters as I leaped to my feet. "Don't you get it, Nia? The Healers have said so themselves, they give dad no hope of surviving! He is going to slip away on that bed and I can't be there when he does!" My voice broke, the burning in my eyes finally taking over and letting tears race down my cheeks.

"They said there was two days, Potter, to see what the outcome was..."Lifting herself off from the messy floor, Nia stepped over a few glass pieces and outstretched a shaky hand towards my arm. "And day one has not even been completed...You _can't_ give up like this...You have to have faith that he will be just fine...You have to get yourself out of this room-"

"I can't...My dads' the only precious thing I have left, Nia..."I confessed, turning to her as my tears still ran on their own accord. "_And I lost him_..."

Her bottom lip quivered for a fraction of a second; her eyes drifting all around the ruined room. "...He is not dead, Albus. You have to stop trapping yourself in this room every second and acting as if he is already buried...If you love him so much, _go_ to him. Go and show that you know that he will live on...If you love someone you fight with all that you got, and you're surrendering!"

Our eyes locked, her words piercing their way into my skull.

Feeling like I was overwhelmed with all these emotions seeping into every pore of my skin, my head spun and all I could do was reach over for the blonde and hold her tight. And in the attempt of keeping my balance, I gave her one more profound stare, letting her gaze wash into mine as I missed it so, and then...And then, I pressed my lips desperately onto hers.

My palms went away from around her arms and they slowly moved on her waist. Wrapping my arms around her and reeling her in; I gripped her as if I was holding on to my last breath before entering complete suffocation. Our lips moved hurriedly and fluently, like a language we have not spoke in so long, but that would always be memorized in us. They moved with a pure passion, with a movement so sweet that my eyes started burning from behind my eyelids.

"Stop...S-Stop..."Pushing my face away from hers, Nia placed her trembling hand on my cheek. Giving herself a second to turn her neck to the side and shove away any contact with me. "Stop, Al..."

"...N-Nia?" My eyes opened and the illusion was broken.

I watched as the blonde witch shed a few tears of her own, her glistening oceanic-eyes glowing intensely from the light of the moon. Highlighting every feature, every ounce of pain on her face. "I-I can't do this with you, Al...I just c-can't."

"But-"Startling myself from the plea that was already about to come out, I was distracted as the emerald flames from the Floo ignited again.

"Nia?"

"_Stefan_..."Passing me without hesitation, Nia ran straight to the blokes that dusted themselves from the ashes of my fireplace. One, blonde with silver eyes and the other a deep redhead with hazel eyes: Scorpius Malfoy and Stefan Arthur Weasley, my cousin.

"Let go-"I snarled, all of my previous, momentary happiness fading as Uncle Charlie's youngest held on to my ex-girlfriend. His arms wrapped tightly around her slender waist as I heard a few whimpers radiating off of her. "Why the hell are you even here, Stefan?"

"Stop it, Al!" My cousin retorted, shoving my grip away from his hold on the girl. "You're hurting her, _stop_!"

"You don't know anything-"

"Leave, Weasley, and take Nia." Malfoy interjected, pushing me a couple of steps away from the still-crying blonde.

"_Nia_!" And without getting the moment to react quickly, Stefan and Nia disappeared inside the fireplace. My cousins' frowning eyes still visible as I punched Malfoy on the chest. "Leave! _Get out_! I don't want you here, Malfoy! Leave!"Breathing in raggedly from the intense sensation of sorrow, tainted with a dash of mourning, I dropped myself back on the corner that I was previously wasting my minutes by.

The only chance of optimism had escaped in the arms of my relative.

"You messed up, Potter...You've got to see that...You can't fix things with Nia like Ophelia De la Cruz didn't happen..."Scorpius muttered in an odd whisper, his legs bending as he decided to take a seat on the space next to my corner. "She just wanted to be here for you...You can't mistake her presence for a hope of redemption on your relationship..."

Tears spilled from my eyes once more, my memory playing back to a few seconds ago when Nia responded back to my lips.

She still loved me, I knew it.

The way her heart raced with mine...The way her blood rushed and her cheeks turned extra rosy...Her lips moved with such need, with such urgency...I knew that she still loved me. She had to..._I_ still did...

"...Why are _you_ here?" I questioned, turning to the bloke with my weakness still wetting my face.

Sighing, Malfoy threw a mocking punch on my arm. His face completely blank and emotionless, but his silver eyes were invaded by a look of brotherhood. "Your my best mate...And if you're going to get apprehended by vandalizing and destroying your house, I want to be there..."

"...I better clean up, shouldn't I?" I mumbled to Scorpius, turning away from him as my immense gratitude for his support wrote itself all over my system and a new track of tears fell.

The day hadn't gone completely to hell-I was forgiven and some of the pressure in my chest disappeared. I had my best friend back.

"We need to go to the hospital after..." I added, the crying ceasing as I felt a bolt of faith race up my spine.

My father wasn't dead; he will survive.

* * *

** AN/ Eh...too long?**

**Next Chapter: Emily's POV  
**


	35. Graves and Promises

** Emily's POV**

"Good morning, Mrs. Potter-"The soft, distinct, voice of Nia Harper sounded carefully around the silent waiting room of St. Mungos. "I brought you some coffee..."There was a pause in my darkness. "My mum and dad send their regards, and wish me to remind you that their hopes and prayers are with you at this moment..."

"Thank you, Nia. But, honestly, you shouldn't have gone through all of this trouble for me. It's hardly even sunrise, what is your mother going to think?" Mrs. Potter responded with gratitude in her tiring voice and some of her very well-known firmness also present."...You should have stayed at school, darling. The year is almost over and you shouldn't be wasting your time with these silly things..."

"They're _not_ silly, Ginerva-"I had to resist the urge of letting out a giggle and opening my eyes at the seriousness in Nia's voice. Especially as I could already see her facial expression of the way she referred to Mrs. Potter; probably with a hand on her hip and her foot tapping impatiently. "I obviously _have_ to be here, and my parents know that. My mum is very grateful that you have always been so welcoming when I invade your house...and..."

"_And_?"

There was another pause, a short one at that. Nia seemed to give a deep inhale before she continued; her tone more strained than before. "Mum wanted me to give her regards to Al...She fancies him to death..a-and...She wanted me to be with him during these moments..."

"Your mother isn't aware of the conclusion to your relationship with my son, eh? Because...if she was, Nia, she would _never_ permit you to be here...Not especially after what he did to you..."

My eyes opened immediately.

"H-How...how do you know about that?" Nia's blue-eyes looked skeptical as they stared outraged at the redhead woman. Both of them seated a few inches away from me, where I laid next to a deep-sleeping James on the marbled floor of the hospital. (It was the next adventure of the Weasley/Potter family:Camping out in St. Mungos.)

"Albus has not been himself lately...I can tell, you know? I am his mother after all-" Mrs. Potter gave the blonde a dim smile. "And, Louis really doesn't know the meaning of whispering. I heard him go on about the subject with his girlfriend yesterday...She had asked why you went looking for my son if...If I can be frank, Nia, I wouldn't be able to see why you cared so much to be there for, Al but I've known you since you were eleven...I've seen you develop, I've gotten to watch you grow and show yourself to those around you...And I'm not surprised that you went looking for him immediately, despise of what he did."

There was a moment of silence among the two, neither of them paying attention to the redheaded Romanian that stirred on a chair near by an even-more-passed-out Freddie across the room.

"Thank you..."Nia whispered, her eyes drifting away to Stefan Arthur. Watching him sleep soundlessly. Her face was twisted into deep thought, not even turning as I sat up straight and stretched my arms and let the blood flow smoothly again. (James can really be quite heavy when he doesn't realize that I'm not his pillow.) "I can't forgive him, you are aware of that, right, Mrs. Potter?"She turned back to her again. "But I will be there for him _if_ the moment calls for it...Other than that...It's like he doesn't exist."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for..."

I coughed, trying to ease the tension between the two awake figures. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I could see the helpless tears swimming in Nia's eyes and the shame on my boyfriends' mothers' face that caused me to interrupt. "Good morning-"Standing swiftly, without waking James, I erased those inches and hugged Nia in greeting. "I'm glad you're here, Nia, I feel like I haven't seen you in years."

"James seems to have caught all your attention-"Nia smirked lightly, breathing in heavily one last time.

"Good morning, Mrs. Potter-"I reached the redhead and placed a kiss on her forehead. Fixing the cloak on her upper body as I felt her cold skin beneath me. "Drink the coffee, you'll feel better." I smiled at her, returning the gesture, and then I turned back at my friend. "-You know that's not true, Nia. You've been getting along with Evanna and her group of Ravenclaws now. And well, I do believe you need to branch out and make friends with other people who can help you channel all that hectic energy in you."

"Whoa, whoa." She shook her blonde hair at me. "Who said Nott and I were friends? That is a blasphemy, Taylor, and I forbid you to speak of such illness!"

I rolled my eyes, pressing my finger to my lips, signaling for her to quiet herself as Freddie whimpered in his sleep. (It had taken his father hours to get the almost-seventeen year-old to go into a slumber without fussing.) "What do you call the odd bond you two have formed then?"

"Comradeship."

I snorted. "_Right_."

"You've been around James for too long, Em. I'm not sure I like your new attitude-" Nia leered, making fun at the Potter-y characteristics I was inheriting from my boyfriend.

"...Ginny?"

Before even getting a chance to reply to Nia with my also inherited Malfoy spunk, I turned at the same time Mrs. Potter did; our gazes colliding with the dark eyes of Angelina Weasley. "Angelina, what is it?" The redhead lifted herself expectantly from her chair, sitting straighter as flashes of nervousness started appearing on her pale, freckly face.

"You haven't been sleeping, Gin. You know that you have to rest. You can't keep yourself up all night and stress your body without having consequences. You just might end up taking one of these hospital beds as well if you don't rest. And I won't guarantee you that Molly won't attempt to murder you if you give her one more thing to be worried for. Think of her, your mother is older now, Gin, and she doesn't need-"

"Angelina, _please_." Mrs. Potter frowned at her sister-in-law, her face already forming into her scolding expression that she sported around James quite often. "We've been friends for more than twenty years, and I know this isn't about me. And besides, you know mum would not let me stay here if she wasn't sure I was at least taking one nap every few hours. Now...get to the point and tell me why you're here."

A few seconds ticked by and Mrs. Weasley groaned at the redhead lady. Sighing to herself in resign with the losing battle with Mrs. Potter. "I've been studying the charts of the Healers that are handling Harry's case and...things are not looking good, Gin." The dark woman crossed her arms solemnly over her bright colored robes. Her pokerface on as my legal guardian drained more of her color and wished it away. "I know that I told you lot that the Healers were giving him two days before...The time has changed, Ginny. It no longer is two days-Harry has a few hours before they stop attempting to cure him. They no longer believe it is a curse that has him in such a condition...I-I'm afraid that Harry's body has simply given up...His brain waves are slower than what a comatose patients' should be..."

"What are you trying to say, Aunt Angie?" My eyes focused forward, where Teddy Lupin had just appeared from the outside doors of the waiting room. He stared at his aunt with glistening eyes mixed with a surrendering look.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes began to water at the sight of Teddy; her facial expression growing more grave as her husband, Ron, and Hermione seemed to all wake right on cue. All of them blinking their eyes slowly, and looking up towards her as if they had heard all the conversation in their sleep. "It means t-that..."Angelina cleared her throat, her eyes flashing red from the pressure building behind her professional facade. "Harry will die at any given moment..."

~*!~*!~*!~*!~*!~

_'Happy New Years, young one-' Startling a young girl from the hectic scouting she was doing, an old pale-faced man lifted his palm up to halt. His gray hair mixing in with the scarf wrapped around his neck for warmth as he stopped the girl before she could continue on. He stood carefully by the metallic gates, a flashlight loosely in his left hand. _

_ 'Happy N-New Years...' The dark haired girl replied in a low voice, her lip trembling from the freezing air blowing around them. She took a quick glance around and noticed that the place was empty. The rows and rows of the field were just occupied by stone and the old man iin front of her._

_ 'Did you need help finding something, kid?' The man asked her, a friendly smile on his pink-cheek face. A bit of sympathy crawling into his elder heart as the girl look disoriented and a bit apathetic._

_ 'No, sir.'_

_ The old man raised his eyebrow at the girl, studying her intently that he didn't even register the light cough that came from the place next to the girl. Where she stood by herself; no one but her and him. 'It's the holidays, kid, shouldn't you be with your family?" He asked her after a few more moments._

_ Swallowing the momentary fright of having to explain the un-explainable, Emily raised her head a bit higher at the man. Her emerald eyes shinning bright and determined as a slap of reality hit her like the cold air did to her exposed skin. 'Exactly...That's why I'm here.' Emily gave the old man a small smile and proceeded on her way._

_ As she walked, with a pressure on her shoulder and a trace of two separate footprints marked their way on the snow, Emily's breath became ragged. She felt her chest tighten and a painful wave circle its' way inside of her. Her organs burned every time oxygen hit them, her eyes felt like they were about to explode from the nervousness that she was feeling. She felt like a bomb...a ticking time bomb. She if she were to hold it in for much longer she was going to pop...She was going to die._

_ She knew she shouldn't have-She knew she shouldn't have broken the order her brother had shouted at her._

_ And in her turmoil is when she saw it._

Here lies and rests the body of Nick Adam Taylor Sr.

A wonderful person and an extraordinary father.

_ Emily slowly let her watery vision move to the right._

In Loving Memory of Amelia Anderson-Taylor.

A joyous woman, sister, and mother that will be forever missed. Her spirit may have passed on, but she will always live in our memory.

_ Bitting her lip at the sudden retort she could already hear in her head from her brother if he were ever to see what laid in front of her, Emily kneeled in between the two graves. Letting the thought of her parents being buried separate, symbolism of their already dead love for one another, she placed one palm on each of the marbled graves._

_ 'Daddy...' She exhaled, her eyes already clouding the gravestone with her tears. 'I've m-missed you _so_ much...I've missed _both_ of you so much...' She trailed off, feeling the pressure of the other tomb on her right. 'I-I'm sixteen now, can you believe it?..._I_ can't...It's been eleven years...Eleven years since you l-left me...'_

_ The wind blew, and no other noise was heard besides Emily's soft cries and the ruffling of leaves. But yet...she wasn't alone._

_ 'I go to Hogwarts.. I know you would love it, daddy. They have the children of all those famous wizardying families you used to compare us to...It's really great...You're probably wondering why I'm in England...A-After your...d-death...I went to Nick's custody. The Democracy in the States didn't allow me to go to your sister, mom-' She turned her neck towards the other grave. Imagining that she was staring into her mothers' eyes. A shape and color she no longer really remembers but that she forced. 'Aunt Haley really tried...but in these cases the Democracy preferred that I stayed with my brother...Which seemed to shock him since Aunt Haley is the one with the magic and he is still...a squib.' _

_ She sighed with a wretched feeling bubbling behind her eyelids. She lowered her head and bit her bottom lip, trying to contain that emotion that she had kept bottled up inside of her for all these years.-She closed her eyes, trying to envision her parents. Trying to imagine the look of their faces, the shape of their eyes. Trying to see something...something that would bring light into that dark moment. A memory of their love that could warm her soul as the snow fell all around her as she sat in between their graves._

_ But _nothing_ came._

_ She could only feel the hate; the anger. She could only recall the thick fury invading that car. She could only remember exploding it to flames and the paramedics whispering of the fatal accident that took her parents away. None of them knowing that the survivor was the murderer...a witch that couldn't control her magic and ruined her own world._

_ 'Not a day goes by...that I don't think of you...that I don't b-blame myself for what I did...I'm so sorry, mommy...daddy. I didn't want this to happen...I wanted you with me f-forever..._but I killed you_...' She murmured the last words. Hissing them to herself as her tears came racing down. 'I still wake up every night...thinking that I hear your voices outside my room...And that at any given moment...I'd see your faces again...but you _n-never_ come...'_

_ 'Emily, stop-' Erasing himself from the invisible, a bespectacled man lowered a shinning cloak from his figure. 'Don't torture yourself...You came here for a reason, Em...And that was to visit, not to fill yourself with remorse..'_

_ 'I'm not alright, Mister Potter...I never will...' Emily cried, her head still hanging low even as she felt the man take a seat next to her on the snow-covered ground. 'It's been _eleven_ years...and I still live with what I did...'  
'They gave you life, Emily...Regardless of how theirs got taken away, they gave you the precious gift of life.' The man stared at the tombstones before him, giving the girl some privacy by looking away from her crying eyes. 'Things go unexpectedly all the time, and sometimes love fades away...But when you're a parent...When you have a child with your blood running in their veins...you _love_ them. You adore them with every fiber of your being and that never changes. Yes...some parents can be distant and cruel...but they always love.'_

_ '...D-Do you think they've forgiven m-me?' Emily whispered, her eyes lingering on the decaying flower petals on her fathers' grave. _

_ 'I wager they never had anything to forgive, Emily-' Harry Potter said straightforwardly. 'As a parent one of the primary jobs is to keep your children happy...And I bet than having you cry and suffer over them...instead of being happy and enjoying your life, is not what your parents would want. I'd give anything, Emily, my life included, to see a smile on my children's faces if they ever thought hope was lost...I'd die peacefully and a whole man...feeling like the worlds' greatest father if my kids can forever be happy.'_

_ She smiled unwillingly, wiping the tear-tracks from her cold cheeks. 'I think I just found another thing in common between us, Mister Potter... ' Emily looked up at the man, feeling an intense feeling of gratitude for his words. 'That I would give anything as well to see James always happy.'_

_ 'You make my son beyond happy, Emily. And for that I will always be grateful for...But in order for him to be happy, _you_ need to be it too.' The man responded, a strict tone to his voice as he pulled his wand out from his pocket. 'Let go of the past and learn to enjoy the people in your life now...Or one day you might regret letting so much time pass and be lost. ' He waved his wand at the graves before him, and with a light mutter of an ancient enchanted word, blooming flowers appeared on the tombs._

_ '...Thank you, Mister Potter.' Emily smiled wider, tears trickling down her cheeks once more but this time with a good emotion attached to them. _

_ 'You're a part of our family, Emily...And we _always_ stick together.' Harry Potter turned to the girl next to him, feeling a place in his heart mend because of her mere presence. She was like a link to his younger self, to a boy who mourned and was angered over the loss of his parents. But by helping her...Harry thought he had accomplished a sacred goal._

"You can't go, you know? _You promised_..." Narrowing my eyes at the figure laying stiffly on the bed, I crossed my arms across my chest. "You said that a parents most important job is to keep their kids happy...and you're not doing that, Mister Potter."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"You can't leave..."I whispered firmly, my anger poking its' way into my words as no response came from the comatose man. "They aren't happy."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"Don't be like my parents, Mister Potter...Don't fade away and leave James, Al, Lily, and even Teddy to suffer the consequences. They aren't ready for you to leave...And perhaps they never will, but at this moment...in these days...they're falling apart and they need their father with them now more than ever..." My voice quivered as I mentioned my deceased. "They still need advice that only you can give them, Sir. They still need help in deciding what direction their life needs to be taken...They need you...Mrs. Potter needs you..."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"She's falling to pieces!" I growled, my vision blurring from my sudden outburst. "I've seen love die!I've seen my parents fall away from each other, hating the simple existence of the other like if their marriage meant nothing! _They died fighting!_They're even buried from each other, not even wanting their remains to be together for the rest of eternity. But not with you and Ginny..." I mumbled, my heart hurting for my new Godmother. For that redheaded woman with the heart of gold. "You two made a promise, Mister Potter, when you got married. You agreed that you would grow old and gray...Not into your early forties and with kids who still haven't finished growing up...You deserve to be alive...to be with her...To be with your family. Everyone is distraught...and they all try to keep their faith burning...but I see it. I see it in their faces when no progress comes...They need you."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"You said that to make James happy, _I_ needed to be happy..." I settled my breaths, shaking my head as I felt hysteria race up my spine as he still laid motionless. The words of Angelina Weasley playing inside of my ears. (Time was running out, great. Even as I shouted at the man.) "And I can't be happy if you're in this state, Mister Potter...You..."I paused, trying to swallow the knot in my throat. "You've been like a father to me all this time...You've taken me in when I was alone and broken...You allowed me to share a bond; family moments that I never experienced...You let me love your son despise the fact that I was mentally torn...You gave me a hope...You gave me the chance to be with James for years to come...for all my life when you took me into your custody...You gave me an opportunity to live a new life by the Potter's side...Please don't take that now..."

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"JAMES!" I shouted, my heart stopping as my breath was no longer the loudest one in the room. "JAMES!" I raced towards the door, my blood rushing as I slammed it open and continued to shout for my boyfriend. Earning stares from a few patients from St. Mungos who walked down the hall.

A stampede of steps were heard loudly on the tiled floor as I removed myself from the doorway. My heart picking up the rhythm again, and banging against my rib cage.

"Emily?"

_ Bang_.

"Emily, what's-"

"Look!" I shouted, silencing James as his no longer sleeping eyes stared outrageously at me. Being the first one to arrive to the room as his mother, his Aunt Angelina and Hermione arrived hysterically a few seconds behind him. "_Look_!"

Slowly, I felt their eyes follow the direction of my pointed finger. All of them stopping their breathing as they took in the cause of my commotion.

"Harry..." Mrs. Potter cried behind me, falling on her knees as her sob overpowered the silence of the room.

My tears began falling, copying the slowing heartbeats in my chest as I watched everything around me play slowly.

Healer Weasley slapped a shaking palm on her dark face. Her own tears tinting her expression as she took one shaky step towards the bed.

Hermione cried, shaking her brown curls as she lowered herself on the tiled floor with Mrs. Potter. The elder brunette woman gripping her sister-in-law by the shoulders with as much force as she could; the two breaking down together.

James stared wide-eyed, disbelief playing all over his handsome face as his eyes followed his Aunt Angelina's path. He stood there frozen, unable to even react as I wrapped my arms around his waist. My own soft cries mixing in with the rest of the women in the room as I collided the side of my head with his chest.

I never got a response from the man.

Never heard a reply to my shouts, accusations, and confessions of gratitude from Harry Potter.

Not a single word came from his lips.

Nothing-but only wide emerald eyes blinking confusedly at me.

The eyes of the man who was like a father to me now; a man who was giving me the gift of happiness to hand over to his son.

Harry James Potter: The Boy-Who-Lived.

(They certainly got that one right, didn't they?)

* * *

** AN: Oh, you know all of you love me again.**

**I saved him!**

**Yay? xD**

**Sorry for the late update guys, but I am on V A C A T I O N! (Can I get a Woot! Woot?) **

**FYI, It doesn't mean Im going to go on Hiatus or anything, but I gotta enjoy these moments of freedom. Lol. I've gotten a job that I start in July and Im trying to relax and do as much stuff with my family before I move out. (Yes. Typical High School graduate who is EXCITINGLY waiting to move out.) But I shall always be dedicated to my FF because it gives me a sense of peace...So thanks to ALL of you who make my day by your reviews and dedication to my stories. **


	36. Weasleys: Liars and Population Creators

** Rose's POV**

"Mum, can you _please_ stop crying?" Leaning against the white doorframe of the master bedroom in our small home, I narrowed my eyes at the brunette a few feet away from me. I watched her comb through her brown curls and cry every time her eyes met her reflection-which was every second for the past five minutes. "Isn't it suppose to be a joyous occasion?"

"It is, Rosie, it i-is." My mother sniffled, wiping the back of her pink hand underneath her eyes. "But..."

"But, what, mum?" I sighed, feeling exhausted as I heard my father shouting at my brother to wake up and his fist banging on his door. (It really had been a long couple of days. And I know I'm going to sound completely irritating, but I miss Hogwarts. Haven from all this madness; where I can hide behind my lessons and dwell into dreamland about Ancient Runes or History of Magic. _Ah, yes._ That's the life.)

"Harry means the world to me, Rose, you should know that." Mum mumbled, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as her eyes remained focused on the glass ahead of her. "He has been my best friend since I was eleven..and we've gone through so much together...So much...And just thinking that he was at the brim...To think that those Healers actually believed that Harry was done fighting...done living...It was the bloodiest stupid thing I had _ever_ heard of."

"But you believed it, right?" I questioned, noticing how intensely puffy her eyes were as they still looked away from me. They shone bright hazel on the mirror, color-coated with a red ring-product of all her teary caring. "You believed that my uncle was going to die?"

"It was many of the times, Rose, when I thought I would lose him."There was a pause, my mother still focused on the glassy object instead of turning to face me. "Many times in which I thought I lost my best friend, my brother, a piece of me. He was a walking target throughout his entire life, and he still is, but in that moment...When they had given up on Harry, something he had never done for them, I broke. Could it really take one _average_ wizard to take him out? Of course not, it was too simple...but I was still afraid."

I bit my lip, my eyes remaining narrowed at the brunette woman. "Everyone knows that you love Uncle Harry, mum, so there is no need to hide your emotions. You care, you're brave, you cry, you're human. Aunt Ginny was exactly the same-as if keeping in the tears were going to make him better. It wasn't like that, but there was no need to run from the hospital when he awoke, mum."

A small smile tugged on the corners of her mouth; finally turning to me as her face was dry and tear-free. "I ran straight to your father, sweetie. Just like old times."

"_Please_-"I snorted, letting my exhaustion wipe away as my mothers' face glowed in the sunshine pouring in to her room. "Dad cried like if someone had informed him all the food from the world was gone. He nearly scared Mister Malfoy."

"Yeah, well, there's another person who runs from his emotions." Hermione Weasley said with a bit of amusement to her voice. "As much as Draco loves denying the fact that he was equally as frightened as the rest of us, I admire his facade of keeping the calm exterior but..."

"But?"

"But, I am Hermione Granger, darling. I know _exactly_ why he is showing up to Godrics Hallow like the rest of us-We _are_ his family as well."

"All thanks to you, Rosie." There was a disturbing scoff behind me and I turned just in time to watch blue-eyes roll annoyingly. "Honestly, you just couldn't have fancied Lysander Thomas? Or even a nice Hufflepuff would have done good."

"_Dad._" I groaned, smacking his chest as he, yet again, mocked my current relationship.

"Yeah, yeah." Dad rolled his eyes once more, his cheeks matching his red hair after a few seconds of noticing my scowl. "Bugger off about the little Malfoy heir and his git of a father, got it. I would just like to pitch-in, just for a fun fact, that I wouldn't have mind if you wanted a Slytherin, just not _that_ boy."

"As much as you love to bash him, dad, I _know_ you love Scorpius as much as the next person in our family. So you can really stop your nagging now, no one is buying it." I grinned. "Which reminds me, 'that boy' shall be here in a couple of minutes and you two are suppose to be apparating to Aunt Gin's right about now."

"You're hearing this, 'Mione?" Dad glared, letting his body go limp as I began pushing him out of his bedroom and towards the hall. "She's kicking us out for the boy! Can you believe it? My daughter, a pureblood lover!"

"Oh, shut up, Ronald." Mum rolled her eyes, fluffing down her blouse as she reached for her husbands' hand. "Now, your cousins will be here shortly, Rose. So please try and keep this house standing by the time we get back. Curse them if you have to or send a Patronus if there is a need."

"And I'm warning you, Rosie, if that Malfoy boy tries _anything_ in those five minutes that he is here before the family arrives, I have given Hugo specific orders to-"My fathers' eyes scanned the small hallway we were standing in. (And which I was desperately trying to get them to puff out on.) "_Hugo_! Wake up, boy! Do I have to rip you out from your bed?"

"Let him sleep, Ron!"Mum scolded, smacking dad beside the head with her free hand. Making his red hair ruffle and a confused expression appear on his face.

"Did you know he has magicked the door shut, 'Mione? What sort of fifteen year-old boy tries to prevent his parents from entering his room?They take after _you_, you know that? Teaching them all those tricky spells from such a young age. They're going to go down the loo if we allow such-"

"See you in a few hours, sweetie." After sending me an air-kiss and interrupting my father, a crack was heard from my mothers' side. Leaving me standing by myself as they disappeared. Only the faint shout of 'Hugo!' was heard as the wall ahead of me was finally visible from the lack of their presence.

Sighing and shaking my head, I turned to the bright white door behind me. "Hu-"

_Crash._

"Son of a-"

Removing my knuckles away from my brothers' door, my heart started racing at high levels as I rushed down the stairs. Feeling every instinct in my body turn on as the exhaustion wiped itself away from my system completely and I jumped at the floor from the last step of the staircase.

"I...I think I've broken your dads' Quidditch trophy-"Standing in the middle of my living room, with dust and ashes covering the air around him, a blonde bloke with heavy grey eyes stood with broken fragments in his hands and a smudge of dirt on his pale nose.

"Malfoy!" I shouted excitedly, feeling slightly ashamed of myself as I squealed and lowered myself to act like a prepubescent girl; even as I leaped at the wizard.

"Rose, it's a great thing to see you and all, I missed you loads _but_..."My boyfriend trailed off, patting my back weakly as I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck. "I would really fancy not dying, you know? Especially since I've gotten you back."

Laughing lightly, I pulled myself away from the blonde. Looking into his eyes as he stared at me dumbfounded, with a bit of a glare as I continued to laugh. "You really had to play _that_ card on me, Scorpius?"

"I'm actually quite serious, Weasley." He frowned, waving the broken golden cup. The handle of it a bit higher in the air than the actual trophy as his grey eyes started to look hysterical. "This is the only trophy that matters to your father and he is going to rip my head off when he sees that I've smashed it!"

"Scorpius-"

Snapping me away from the amusing expression on Malfoy's face, green flames ignited in my fireplace. Distracting me from the boy who owned my heart. "Ow!" Coming out from the flames, came a group of redheads. All of them cursing and shouting, stomping and cleaning their shoes on my carpet, pushing and shoving my boyfriend away from me.

Son of a biscuit-my five minutes were up.

"For Merlin's sake, Fredrick, you've almost broke my arm in there!" Lily shouted, aiming a kick at our chuckling cousin as she gripped her arm to her chest.

"Oi, I was being squashed by Louis's fat ass, cousin! You've got a complaint, take it to that git!" Freddie defended himself, kicking back.

"I am _not_ fat-"Louis hissed, shock spreading out on his face as he wrapped his arms around himself. "You take that back, you bloody wanker!"

"You actually are fat, Louis. Merlin knows that's why I had to take the Floo without you-"Coming out of the flames, gracefully and with a diaper bag and a baby, Dominique smiled evilly at her brother. "You take up the entire fireplace that I was afraid Dustin wouldn't be able to breathe."

Louis's furious expression was cracking as the family started laughing at his expense. "I am not fat...I've just had a few more chocolates than usual..."He lowered his head, his blonde hair falling over his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with a sweet-tooth..."

"Oh, but there is, mate. Especially if you scarf down the entire box on your own-"

_ Smack_.

"James!" Emily retracted her palm away from my cousin, emerging from around his back as she kept a scolding look on her face. "Ignore them, Louis. You're in a great shape, all that Quidditch is really paying off."

"Oh, oh, oh-"Chortling loudly,interrupting the others from mocking my blonde cousin further, Nia Harper went walking towards the corner Scorpius got shoved in to. "What's this, Malfoy? So heated with hormones that you've gone and broken Ron's most prized possession as you tried violating our Rosie dearest?"

"Merlin's saggy pants, Malfoy!" Freddie gaped, ignoring Louis as he kept chanting 'I'm not fat! I'm not fat!' He walked towards the two blondes, his head shaking in an unbelievable state as his eyes focused on the golden object. "Uncle Ron won that almost thirty years ago! Oh, mate, he is going to have your manly-bits and feed them to Uncle Charlie's dragon."

"That's if Uncle Ron doesn't decide to throw you completely in, Scorpius." Stefan Arthur commented, moving to Nia's side and throwing an arm around her shoulders. As I squinted my eyes at them-the way Nia seemed to reel into his embrace-I noticed that from the entire lot Albus was missing. (Well him and Liam, but that bloke had insisted he got sent back to Hogwarts after the news that Harry Potter was awake and living.) "He'd probably take the chance, you know? Fluffy is at her hungriest state."

"Oh, come off it!" I snorted, shoving my relatives away from my boyfriend as he started turning red. "You prats are scaring him. It's not that bad."

"It's the trophy for the best Keeper of the Gryffindor team after Oliver Wood left!" Freddie argued, adding to Scorpius's frightened expression. "Since _Oliver Wood_! Merlin, Rose, that award would have gone to Aunt Ginny if Uncle Harry didn't decided she did much better as a Seeker! Do you know the times Uncle Ron boasts that to Aunt Gin's face when he is completely wasted? That's a tragedy, that is! What are we going to be hearing now when he has had too much Fire Whiskey?" Before I could spit something out at him, Freddie continued. This time pointing his finger and looking disapprovingly at Scorpius. "He's going to be nagging about Malfoy from now on, cousin. Possibly plotting to murder him in his sleep. He does know where the Slytherin Common Room is, you know?"

"Shove off, Freddie." I glared, slapping his finger away as Scorpius gulped loudly. "Dad has more awards in his office, I'm sure he won't be that angry about it."

"But it's _Quidditch_!" James interjected.

"He has an award for Special Services to Hogwarts, James! For saving lives and being brave! For fighting and attempting to save the castle from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"Yeah, whatever, that's still Quidditch!" My cousin, persisted. "Not even Voldemort can beat what that means!"

I rolled my eyes.

Damn thickheads.

"_Reparo_-"Looking smugly at us, as well all silenced ourselves in a second and my boyfriend lost the frightened look on his gorgeous face, Dominique deepened her smirk. "Such children. Was it really that difficult to think of the spell? It's not like it's the TriWizard Cup, you know?" She clucked her tongue at us, moving to adjust the baby on her arms as she stuffed her wand back into her pocket.

"Wench." Louis coughed.

"Fat-ass." Dominique spat back casually, an aura of superiority on her face as she still smirked. "Now lads, since Victorie is busy at St. Mungos and Molly is currently occupied with her muggle lifestyle and you lot weren't allowed at Godrics Hallow because you are too immature to handle the discussion Uncle Harry needs to have and I volunteered out of the goodness of my heart to skip it, I suggest all of you find some quiet activities to do."

"This is completely unfair-"

"Tell me about it..." I whispered, sighing to myself as I took Scorpius's hand and began dragging him towards the nearest couch.

"How come Louis, James, or I couldn't be in charge? We are almost seventeen and we demand equality!" Freddie snapped, frowning as Dominique waved him off carelessly. "Okay, perhaps I know _why_ they didn't leave us in charge, but they could have at least have had Camden take care of us."

"No luck, mate." Stefan responded, his arm still securely wrapped around my friends' shoulders. "My brother had to go back to Romania, he gets his new home today. He has to go back and make sure his witch has everything set up for their new 'adventure' together."

"_Uh-oh._" Scorpius mumbled, a grin appearing on his face as he adjusted me on his lap.

But before I could even ask, I saw Louis's face light up in much more anger than when they were teasing him. "Well, cousin Camden is committing himself is he? Does he have a baby lying about that the family doesn't know about? Has he deserted the family for a bloody person that has disgraced him? _Has he_?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Not this again!" Lily groaned. "Louis, can't you just piss off about the subject? You've been on and on about it for ages! It's getting tiring hearing you complain like a witch with her knickers in a twist!"

"It's not my fault my sister ran off and got herself pregnant is it?" Louis shouted at her, frowning at the rest of the family as they proceeded to sit themselves all over my living room; rolling his eyes at him. "How would any of you like it if you heard your sister couldn't keep her legs shut while she was in school and ended up shagging the first bloke that crossed her path? What if she ended up having his bastard kid even after he ran off on her and she _still_ took him back?"

The room went silent.

Nothing was heard for about three seconds, all of us looking between the two siblings, even as Freddie's eyes widened in fear and he bolted towards the staircase before one of Uncle Bill's kids moved. (Smart choice, there was about to be murder in three, two, one-)

"You think..."Dominique's voice came out low; deep and hallow even as Dustin stretched in her arms, his beautiful eyes shut and hidden from us as he slept. "You think my baby is a bastard, eh? Well Louis...that's surely something to get off of your chest...Anything else you would like to add?"

Louis's white face started draining from its' angry color, but it began twisting into an expression of loathing as he stared at his sister unmoving.

The tension was thick, dark and awkward. Making the steady heartbeat of Scorpius's heart the only sane and lovely thing in the air.

I bit my lip, my skin tingling as my Slytherin moved his fingertips lightly across my exposed thigh. Making me blush lightly, just like a reflex, as I turned and stared at him in the eyes. Letting those amazing stormy eyes pour into my plain brown and dazzle me completely like it was the very first time.

It was strange, the twist and turns that our relationship had taken.

I had always assumed that we were perfect, sure we fought and had our moments of disagreement, but compared to the mess any of the relationships my cousins had we were a couple blessed by Merlin. I have always known that Scorpius Malfoy and I would be great, it was sort of destined, as cliche as it sounds. I just can't help the erratic rhythm my heart starts beating when he is around or the way my world, even if for just a second feels whole.

"Scorpius and I are getting married..." I whispered, not turning from my boyfriends' eyes. Smiling as his lips tugged into a soft smile instead of shock spreading on his face.

"What was that, Rose?" Roxy asked, her voice sounded a bit unsure as I felt all the eyes of my relatives bore into my back.

"Yeah...we didn't really catch that." Nia added.

"Scorpius and I are getting married-" I repeated, moving my index finger to touch the tip of Malfoy's nose. "We've been engaged since the start of the term." Still smiling at him, staring at him for another second like the most precious thing in my life, I removed my finger from his second and leaned forward. Pressing my lips to his for a short second, letting that tiny fragment of time seep into my skin and burn me with bliss as he grinned into my mouth before I pulled away. "We're going to be getting married."

The people in my living room exchanged looks as I turned to look at them. I watched as the clock in the wall behind them ticked and their expressions still remained blank.

After a few more passing seconds, James snorted from Emily's lap. His arms draped around her neck as he twisted his neck to look at us with a mocking gaze. "_Right_."

And the room erupted into fits of chuckling, snorting, comments of sarcasm, teasing, and whimpers of a baby.

"And then they complain we are not honest-" I mumbled to Scorpius, laughing along with him as we both took in how un-trusting our friends were. "Well, when they get their invitation from their ruddy owls they better not even think of sending back a Howler as a response."

"Don't you think I should get you a ring first, Weasley?" Scorpius asked, winking at me as James continued mocking us loudly in the background.

"Perhaps, for the wedding maybe, but for now-" I smirked at him, reaching into my shirt and pulling out an object that hung from a long silver chain. "I'll always carry a symbol for us everywhere." I dangled the metallic rose with my fingers, one that he had given me time ago, letting it shine and project tiny rays of white light as he peered at it.

"You'll always be my rose."

"I love you too." I grinned, placing the silver rose carefully over my heart. "Always."

_ Boom_.

"Hugo!"

"Freddie!"

"Oh, my Uncle Fred!"Ruining the special moment between my beloved and I, loud footsteps were heard from the second floor of my house and racing down the stairs. "_Oi_!" Freddie shouted, speeding towards us as he jumped off the final step.

"Freddie, shut the bloody hell up!" Dominique hissed, patting her baby's back as he stirred and began crying again. "What did I tell you, you daft, about being quiet?"

"This is much better than that!" Freddie continued with his loud tone, swallowing roughly and breathing in heavily as he laughed loudly. "So I was up there, trying to open Hugo's door when it burst open, can't even remember what spell I used, but-"

"_It's not true_!"

"Hugo?" I furrowed my eyebrows, staring with bewilderment as my little brother appeared into the living room. His red hair tussled and crazed over his head, his face sweaty, and burning scarlet, panting for air, and in his boxers.

"It's not true!" He heaved.

"Oh, _it is_!" Freddie roared, stomping his feet on the floor as my brother glared at him. "No wonder that door was closed!"

"Shut up, Fred."

"No, this is good, mate. Promise!" Freddie waved my brothers' threat away. "Let me tell them, they _have_ to know!"

"Know what?" I asked, slightly afraid.

"Ah...Hello." My eyes widened as a dark-haired person came silently and unnoticed from behind my brother, looking at us with a flush on her face and her hair in the same state my brothers' was.

"...Oli?" Nia breathed, taking one step away from Stefan and directing it towards the witch standing closely to Hugo as Freddie laughed and stomped again. "Olivia Boot, what are you doing here?"

Olivia, a Sixth Year Ravenclaw, best mates with Evanna Nott and Gracen Goyle, smiled shyly at my blonde friend. "Would you believe me if I said I was playing Exploding Snap?"

"Oh, she was playing with his snap alright." Freddie chuckled bemusedly, loving the situation as we all stared at my brother, with his arm loosely wrapped around Olivia Boot's waist.

"...What?" I gasped, letting the pieces all add up and connect.

"Hugo...I thought...but Andre Boot..." Lily raised her eyebrow, a look of confusion on her face as Roxy nodded along with her. "I sort of figured you fancied _Andre_...her brother."

"...What?" I breathed again.

"Er m, _no_." Hugo mumbled, giving Lily an irritated look.

"But you blushed..._a lot_ when you were around him..." Lily continued. "You got all red and panicky."

"He is top of our year, Lils, he can throw any spell that he wants without even a twitch of a word. He can kill me without even giving me a chance to react and I've been secretly snogging his sister since last year, of course I'm going to be panicky when the bloke shows up."

Olivia's cheeks deepened in color as Nia grimaced and Freddie roared with laughter once again.

I stared at my brother dumbstruck."..._What_?"

Dustin let out another whimper and from the corner of my disbelieving eyes, I saw Dominique smile down at her son. "You see that Dustin? That's your Uncle Hugo and he's lost his 't you glad we came now?"

Merlin, help us.

Generations of Weasley's were going to sprout around the world at this rate.

* * *

** AN: Oh, how dirty xP**

**Ay, poor Hugo needed something something, you know? ;D**

**Anyway, sorry for the long wait and the long ramble chapter. My bad. My sincere apologies.**

**But I decided that I needed to update soon but I was tired from work BUT I really wanted to update...So WHALA!**

**Here you have it xD Some spunk after all those sad chapters. :)**

**Next Chapter: Lily's POV  
**


	37. Of Colorful Undescribable Chats

**Lily's POV**

A deep _ding, ding, ding_, sound bounced off the walls from the ancient castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Signaling the students with a conjured bell that was never seen, but most definitely always heard, that it was time to exit their lessons and move on to the next task.

"Octavio-"Pulling my back away from the wall in front of the Potions dungeon, I called a dark-haired wizard as soon as I spotted him. "Octavio_._"

Turning along with every classmate that exited the dungeon, Slytherins and Ravenclaws alike, a pale faced looked my way. "Lily?" The Slytherin called, raising his eyebrow with a bit of a smirk as a few of his house-mates started throwing whistles and witty remarks. "_Como te puedo ayudar_?"

Without responding to him, mostly because I wasn't partially sure what he said in his native tongue, I kept a serious expression on my face as Malfoy, Zabini, and even Lorcan Thomas gave me a suspicious stare as they exited the their gazes trailing after me even as they turned and disappeared from my sight.

Walking up to me with a half grin and that undefined gaze, Octavio De la Cruz pressed his familiar lips to my forehead and slithered his arms around my waist for a quick embrace. "Well, it seems like Albus was not the only Potter missing his class today." He chuckled with a light tone, pulling himself away from me as he kept his grin on. "Shouldn't you have gone to your double Transfiguration the last hour?"

"Should have, but didn't." I shrugged, leaning back against the wall.

"One would assume that you all were perfectly fine since your _padre_ was let out of the hospital and finds himself doing better everyday since his release." He commented, bringing his right hand to my cheek. "Mister Potter is better, right? Or is something else the matter?"

"My dads' fine, Octavio-"I sighed, dismissing the subject. (Which was very true. Thank Merlin for that.) "I just...With everything that has happened with my dad, I've been starting to think that maybe this...what I'm doing isn't right."

His eyebrow rose slightly; his fingers still caressing my cheek. "What exactly are you doing, Lily?" He questioned, whispering as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"_Us_."

He chuckled, shaking his dark hair at me as his brown eyes were kept looking into mine. "There's no 'us', Lily. I knew that from the very beginning of course, and if you want to cut our interactions then I won't object, I assure you."

"You're erm...taking this lightly." I muttered, raising my eyebrow at him as his cheerfulness confused me.

"I'm not here to do you any harm, Lily Luna-"His amusement faded, but his gaze remained soft and comforting. "I never was. I came into this school by mere twists of fate, not to cause a commotion among the Potters."

"You're sister didn't think that way, Octavio, when she destroyed my brother and Nia's sister _broke_ Harper beyond repair. That ruddy witch might think that she is fooling the world with her mask, but we can all see through her pain. Just like we can see through your sisters' lack of remorse." I said straightforwardly, finding it a bit hard that the De la Cruz's didn't come here to cause havoc.

"That's because Ophelia knows no remorse, Lily." Octavio responded in a low, deep voice. "We are products of the foulest of muggles. A couple so detested with what we were from the start. Feeding us hate because we were going to be greater...because we were already greater than them. _Mi padre _knew that we were going to be exactly like his brother, Emilio. Strange, odd, freaks-"He laughed once again, dropping his hand from my face as it started showing signs of sympathy. "Our parents treated us exactly like filth, perhaps lower than that. We grew up knowing no love, no compassion, no sympathy or guilt...We were secluded from the world, and it wasn't until Ophelia and I couldn't contain our magic that our parents decided to ship us off from the hole they had us hidden in the isolated parts of Spain to my _Tio_ Emilio."

"...Is that why you two are with him, then? Because of your parents?" I dared to ask, feeling slightly sickened with myself as I got into the life of one of the De la Cruz twins. (This was _not_ the direction I imagined my chat with him was going to take. I figured a simple 'Piss of, never talk about me to anyone or I will kill you' would have done the trick and freed me from my mistakes, but of course not. I'm Lily bloody Potter, I've inherited a heart. )

"_Si_." He nodded causally, crossing his arms as he continued to keep his penetrating eyes on mine. "My uncle soon went on to be the Minister to this country, and he brought us along with him. Hoping that we would be washed away from the harm our parents did to us, but that was not the obvious case for Ophelia."

"You don't say." I mumbled sarcastically. "She's as shady as a rabies infected dog who wags its' tail at its' prey."

"Ophelia thrives on destroying those who are happy, Lily. It's what she does-sure it's cruel and inhumane, but she's good at it. I knew from the very beginning that she had her eyes set on your brother, but _he_ was stupid enough to fall. I _can_ point a finger to my _hermana_ and rightfully accuse her, but as I know it, my sister wasn't taken advantage of." Octavio smirked again, finding the topic interesting.

"So...Where does that leave us?" I asked, not being able to find something dark or evil in the Slytherin in front of me.

"Where do you want it to leave us, Lily?" He replied, taking the chance to move his hand back onto my cheek.

"I don't regret ever meeting you, Octavio, please know that. I just...I just wish I could take back what we did...You're not a horrible person and maybe if things would have been different I could have fancied you properly...but not in the circumstances I find myself in." I took his hand from my face, holding on to his fingers tightly as my built-in guilt started throbbing in the insides of my head. "I didn't intend to toy with your emotions..."

"I know." He whispered, smiling as he shook off my hand and brought both of his to cup my face.

Keeping that smile that eased a bit of my guilt, Octavio leaned forward. Lightly pressing his lips to mine as my eyes closed at his gesture. It was soft, comforting, and even sweet. It was a kiss from a friend, not from someone you wish to spend the rest of your life with. Not a caress that makes your blood boil with ecstasy, but just enough to ease your pain.

"_Siempre sere tu amigo. Aunque lo necesites o' no._" Fluttering my eyes open from the kind words from the Slytherin, I smiled back at him. Repeating and copying that smile that never left his face. "Goodbye, Lily."

Feeling like a strong pressure had been removed from my shoulders, I took in a deep breath as I watched him walk away. Staring at his robes sway behind him as his footsteps started sounding far on the corridor floor. "...Goodbye."

~*!~*!~*!~*!~*!~*!~

Outside-through the glass windows the sun shined brilliantly. It was intense and bright; illuminating the green grass and living vegetation in the grounds. It highlighted the sky, making it appear much more blue and enchanting than any other day. The clouds were puffy and white, just like the softest of cotton balls stretched out and hanging in the atmosphere. They were the ideal addition to the heavens, helping it give the right touch of the perfect day.

But, of course, the grass is greener on the other side. _Always_. And like it is my luck, I find myself sitting on top of a the teachers' desk, looking out the window inside of a dim dungeon classroom. I sat there, completely motionless. Just peering out the window, hoping that a giant gust of wind would shatter the glass and blow me out into life...but nothing came-just like I had recently discovered.

I had broken inside-of that I am aware. All my life I had been placed in a bubble, making me feel like the most valuable object upon the earth. They made me feel like the precious gem among scattered bones, when in reality I _wanted_ to be the bones. I wanted to be common and normal; insane and filled with liberty, but I never got the chance.

I was Lily Luna Potter, I was the Savior of the Wizardying Worlds' most precious possession.

I was untouchable-but that was the problem. I wanted to be touched. I wanted to be fully loved by someone and have them break my heart. I wanted to risk my heart and soul and everything I had. I wanted to be taken seriously; I wanted to be seen as Lily not as the precious gem. I wanted someone to value me because I was _theirs_ not because my surname protected me.

I wanted to be cliche, to spread my wings and fly, fly, fly-but they ripped my wings.

I loved my family, that has been proven time and time again...but I _needed_ to escape them. I needed to get away from their holds so I pushed. I pushed, kicked, shouted, yelled, and shoved until I got it.

I rebelled...and it caused me everything.

I can see my mistakes-I always have. I was just too blinded by my anger, too proud to admit that perhaps my loved one and my family had the same I _was_ precious and I needed to be treated as such. (In the least conceited way,mind you.) That maybe...I needed to learn how to fly first, take a few goes at it and then take off. But I didn't. I opened my wings, took a long look at the sky and took off. I fluttered my wings like I was the expert, like I knew how to handle such situation that I never even noticed when I was falling. I never registered that as I kept my eyes towards my destination that I was falling down, and it wasn't until I hit the ground that I felt it.

I was mistaken. I was wrong.

"So much thinking is going to blow your brains out, Lils-"Snapping me away from the thoughts that I already knew too well, a pair of emerald eyes poured into a knot of emotions tie inside my throat as they made me feel like home. "It's a nice day, you should be outside enjoying the sun."

"I would say the same to you, Al." I replied in a low voice to my brother, watching as he blinked his inherited eyes casually.

"Yeah, well, I reckon I'm not allowed to enjoy anything anymore." He said bluntly, shrugging at his own statement as he walked over to where I was. Jumping up on the desk across from me. "Being the damned one and all, I've lost my privilege to smile and to be happy."

"Says who?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrow in a bit of annoyance. (Okay, so I might not always be a big fan of my family, especially not of my idiotic brothers, but I _have_ to love them. It's a principle-so when Al looks beaten, I sort of get a bit territorial.) "Dad fought for freedom, Al, gave his life for it, therefore you _are_ allowed to go skipping down that ruddy hill if you wish."

"My presence isn't something most people enjoy nowadays, Lily." My brother said quietly, with a voice blank enough that it didn't match the emotion swimming in his eyes. "I'm just..err...tired of feeling sorry, you know?" His gaze moved down to a small collection of yarn around his wrist. (An attempt of a bracelet that had been given to him years ago by a blonde.)

This was about Harper, _obviously_.

"You sort of can't be tired of being sorry, Al, you messed up-"I pointed out honestly, feeling a bit of guilt as his stare went back up to my face. The undefined emotion more pronounced. "But that shouldn't mean you should wallow in your misery. I know that although Nia might...not exactly be _fond_ of you, she doesn't want to see you in pain. Sure, she might get a kick out of it at random times, but she's not cruel."

"It's absolutely mental, Lils, how everything just...spun out of control..."Albus whispered, his voice thick with that emotion that lived in his eyes. "I _was_ aware of my actions...even when I attempted to play as if I didn't...but I never thought that by me discovering the dark-side of my own being would I destroy everything in the process...Even myself."

I sighed, my stomach twisting into a lurching pain as I knew exactly what he was talking about.

We both had messed up and sent everything to hell. We both created the same mistake-taking our respective partners for granted. Never realizing that by some odd turn that fate gave, we ruined ourselves in the process. Giving them our entire happiness without even knowing; even when we had broken them to fragments of what they used to be.

"You're a great bloke, Al, you've always been." I muttered to my older brother, trying to shove away my own guilt as his still glowed on his pale face. "Things just sometimes go too far...but we make mistakes...No one is perfect, Al, even when you try so hard to be. I've made mistakes of my own...and I k-know what you're feeling...but there is _nothing_ we can do." My bottom lip quivered, and suddenly I wasn't the one trying to be strong for a sibling anymore.

"Someone once told me-"He began, jumping off the desk to walk hesitantly towards me. "That when you love someone you've hurt you ask for forgiveness, and let them do the rest. That we come clean, express everything down to the core-even the things we know will hurt them, but we _do_ it. Because in a mending relationship one should know every aspect that has been hurt so that, if they decide to forgive, things can be fixed completely...Not just pieces that you weren't ashamed to share."

Nestling into the arm he had thrown over my shoulder, I sniffled a few tears into my brothers' embrace. "How did we become this, Al? How did Harry Potter's children end up so thick and faulty?"

My brother gave a snort, laughing lightly at my question. "I don't know, Lily, but I'm afraid that that only applies to me and you. Because, as I hate to admit it, James is doing pretty well for himself."

"James is a prat-"I scoffed, laughing along with him. "...He's been through a lot in his time here as well, I admit _that_. He is stronger than what we give him credit for, Al. James had to endure the hurt while we were the ones who spread it."

My brother gave a solemn nod, sighing to himself. "He has too much of mum in him."I chuckled, pushing myself away from his arm. "It's true. The only times he acted like dad is when he didn't know how to get Emily to notice him-"And just before I could comment on that, the door to the dungeon flew open.

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't know anyone was here." A dark-haired witch said, her eyes scanning me carefully as all my prior amusement faded at the sight of her doe eyes.

"Well, it's about to get a little more empty-"Al perked himself up, sending a smile to the witch as he started headed towards the door. "I've got to go find Malfoy and ask for those Potions notes I missed. See you later, Sis."

"Do you truly _need_ the classroom, Goyle, or do you plan on just taking it from me because you find yourself a bit bored today?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing at the pretty Ravenclaw Sixth Year.

Taking in one deep inhale, Gracen Goyle stopped her bright eyes from rolling and looking irritated at the double-meaning accusation I sent her way. "Honestly, Potter, I'm not here to pick a fight with a younger student, alright? I'm just trying to find a book that I left here last week and that I am in dire need before my Professor kicks me out of his lesson. Now, if you don't mind, can you please remain silent until I find it?"

"He's never going to feel anything for you, you know that, right?" I spat acidly, not being able to control that bubble of insecurity and lowering self-confidence. "I know you know it...he doesn't feel _anything_ for you."

A hidden emotion crossed her blue eyes, quickly fading as soon as it had shown up and she cleared her throat. I could see that she was trying to keep her composure, trying her hardest to settle that spark of anger I had ignited in her with the truth of my words. Because she knew...She knew that Liam would never harbor feelings for her. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you, Lily."

"Because you know it's true." I snapped despite her low tone, raising myself off from the seat on the desk. "You know, deep inside, that you are wasting your time with him. It's all for nothing, _Gracen_."

"You don't know anything..."She muttered, her exposure hard.

"I know enough to say that your useless attempts will only cause you pain. You'll only end up feeling resentment, getting tired of chasing someone who can never truly fancy you. It's just a crush for you, Goyle, so step aside before you give yourself a headache with something that is so much more for me."

"Listen, you little pathetic witch-" ( Whoa. That did it.) The Ravenclaw pointed a pale finger at me, her body trembling as she approached me. Her expression pulled into her true emotions: anger and a slight of pain. "You know _nothing_ about us. You have no clue or bloody insight on how I feel for Liam Greengrass or how _he_ feels about me. I like him, truly and genuinely."

My heart gave a dysfunctional beat; almost like if it was failing to keep up with my fury.

"-I like the way he blushes when he hears an inappropriate comment, I like how he smiles so bright that it makes his entire face glow. I like the way he holds my hand and whispers words so beautiful that they make me feel like the I'm the luckiest witch in the world."

I frowned, taking a step away from her like if she had slapped me across the face. "...Shut up." I murmured, shaking my red hair at her. Not wanting the details of what Liam has let themselves pretend.

"I like the way he hugs me, giving me a sense that I'm protected and safe-"She ignored my twinge, erasing my step. "I like the way he watches me carefully when I talk to him, letting me know that he has heard every word I have said and that he can't get enough of it. I like the fact that he laughs with a small snort when things get too funny and he turns red from the lack of oxygen. I like the fact that he is so calm and reassuring, always willing to lay on the grass with me and just remain silent and watch the sun set. I like the way he kisses me...so softly that I cry because I've never been touched with such a caress that my body can't bare it."

"_Stop it_!" I shook my head again, covering my ears as I screamed at the thought. I looked up to her in horror, my anger transforming into a deep agonizing pain as my tears started flowing. Tears that matched hers, except for the glistening of my brown and her blue. "...S-Stop it." I begged, my frown crumbling and turning into a weaken expression. "..._Stop_."

"...But you know what I like the most, Lily?" She whispered, her crying eyes focused on me. Not hiding the fact that she was shedding tears in front of me; her rival. "When he looks at me...when he _r-really_ looks at me...His eyes widen and they fill with happiness and I know that he fancies me as much as I fancy him...B-Because when he looks at _me_, I know that I make him happy...and that's all I ever wanted for him...but..."

"I love him." I added in a small voice, taking the chance when she trailed off with her terrorizing memories. "I've liked him since before I entered Hogwarts...I _loved_ him since the summer before my Fourth Year. I-I fell in love with his brown eyes, with his charming smile, with his nobility and kindness...I fell in love with the way he made my heart skip a beat...or sent it to overload..."More tears slipped, and I found that the effect her memories had on me had been reversed. (_She_ was suffering now.) "I loved when the summer nights were long and we would just sit in my backyard...talking about nothing, and yet, the hours would fly by as if they were seconds...I fell even more in love when he kissed me...when he showed me he returned my feelings...I knew he was destined to be mine when the Uprising of Death Eaters began and he saved my life...ran with me, shooting spells and cursing wizards only so he could have me a bit longer in his life...I loved him more than my own life when I watched him crumble for a minute after his fathers' death and pick himself up in the other..."

"I like that I love him, Lily." Gracen said truthfully, her bright eyes shinning once again with tears as she confessed what was already known.

"_I know_..."I looked at her, no more hatred finding its' way into my stare. "Take...T-Take good care of him, Gracen." I sobbed, the knot in my throat becoming so excruciating that I could barely get my words out. My heart felt like it was sinking, somewhere deep inside in the darkness of the hole I had created on my own. "I h-hate to admit it...but y-you deserve..._you_ deserve him m-more than I do...I love him enough to want the best for him., even if it isn't me."

And that people-despite my bickering and shouting, besides the insane jealousy or mental obsession-was _true_.

I was in love with Liam Greengrass, my charming older Gryffindor, but I knew I had to let him go. If I had to lose him...If I had to give him to the world and know that he needed to be set free, I was glad it would be Gracen Goyle, the Ravenclaw.

(Ha. What do you know? It seems that I have a bit of Ginny Weasley in me as much as James.)

"His eyes fill with joy when he looks into mine, Lily-" Gracen repeated, her tears no longer falling but the wet tracks on her face were evidence enough to know that they had tainted her beautiful face. "But they shine and glow when he talks about you. He doesn't mean to, of course, but he slips up...He mentions your name, if just by accident, but his eyes sparkle. I k-know that he likes me...but I know that he loves _you_."

My eyes widened a bit, raising my eyebrow to throw her an incredulous look. "No, he doesn't. Not anymore at least, Gracen, I've ruined it."

"He loves you." She repeated, her voice sounding so sure.

"No."

"-_Yes_."

My heart stopped; along with my breathing. A pair of brown, distinctive, eyes pierced their way into mine. Light footsteps being heard on the marbled floor as Goyle and I remained perfectly still in our places.

"Tell her you love her-"Breaking the sudden awkward silence among the three of us, Gracen Goyle turned her gaze towards the new intruder of the dungeon. "She needs to hear it, tell her you still love her, Liam."

"Grace..."Liam breathed, my Gryffindor turning towards the Ravenclaw with a cloudy stare; a cover of something that I did not know or want to comprehend. It was their own stare, a special way his eyes shined for her. "I like you as much as my heart permits and I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry, Greengrass." Goyle warned, a watery grin spreading on her white face. "I'm honored that you came to like me...although your heart likes me with what it lets you...you love _her_ with every fiber of your being. With all that you got, and believe me, that overpowers everything else."

My head spun as the Ravenclaw took quiet steps towards Liam, her teary smile still on her face as she stretched her arms out at him- hugging him. The side of her face was cover by his chest, her arms snaked around his waist as he hugged her shoulders; his eyes careful to lock themselves in the strands of her black hair.

I could see Goyle's blue eyes, matching the sky from outside, still shine with that bright aura that surrounds her every second; even as her heart was breaking at that exact moment. She hugged him, and her face held complete composure, holding herself perfectly still as she placed all that she had in that embrace.

And as soon as she held on...she let go.

"I-I..." I gulped, my chest starting to rise in panic as Goyle slowly walked her way out of the dungeon, leaving us Gryffindors on our own. "I didn't want this, Liam. I swear it...I _swear_ I didn't make her do this."

He looked up at me, his eyes soft and focused. "I know, Lily...I heard everything...Al saw me as he was turning the corner...He told me that eavesdropping once in a while is not a sin and that I would find some answers that way...And I have.."

(Merlin. Was Al playing Cupid now?)

"I'm sorry, Liam-"My bottom lip trembled, my emotions still playing so dangerously close to the surface. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for pushing you away and making you feel like you were the problem...I'm sorry that I stopped showing you that I loved you...I'm sorry for _everything_...believe me, I am. A-And I will gladly live with everything that I have d-done if you can f-forgive me..."

"Lily, understand that I wanted you..._desired_ you even more than you did me." The brunette wizard took steps towards me, his tone low as a whisper. "That I craved your body...your everything more than what you ever imagined.." His cheeks turned slight red from his statement, and I remembered why , alike Goyle, I fell in love with that face. "But that was never an excuse for me to take anything from you...I'm your boyfriend, Lily, and I'll love you in many ways that you will never know and won't be able to understand...And just because you don't accept the fact that I respect you, your family, and everything you represent, doesn't mean that my thoughts don't ever lead to wanting to touch you a little bit more than I allow myself..."

Matching his blush, my heart racing along with my blood, I bit my lip. Feeling like my skin was going to start matching the hue of my hair with his statement, my imagination shifting to his proclaimed thoughts. "I accept it and...I _do_ acknowledge that I tried playing the adult..And that's left me with a scar,Liam, one that will never fade away. One that I won't forget...I can just ask you for forgiveness now and everyday for the rest of my life, because _you're_ the boy of my dreams...You're everything that I wanted for so long, and I know that I let it go, but that never meant that I stopped feeling it...That I stopped loving you-"I paused, my brows furrowing as my head raced to a few minutes ago. "Wait, did you say you _are_ my boyfriend?"

Liam chuckled, his palm landing at the side of my waist. "I was wondering when you were going to catch that, but-"He placed the his hand on my other side, his brown eyes peering down at me as I kept my ridiculously confused expression on. "I'm glad I get to hear you admit your mistakes, Lily. It takes a grown person to confess them...and I'm sorry you'll live with some of those faults for a while, but I _won't_ take them back. I won't try and ease them for you because you need to know...to have a reminder of how much our relationship really meant...and what we had to fight to overcome it."

Another tear slipped from the corner of my eye, my entire being shouting roars of unknown gratitude, of immense love, some guilt, of intense passion, deep pain, of profound happiness, of the need to cry, the urge to scream, of the sense of my soul fluttering inside my bones, blood rushing with bliss, of the dizzy feel to everything combining-I was in love and my body was absorbing it again.

Love is undefined; filled with thousands of emotions and senses that can't be described. That can't be explained or talked, just _felt_. Just the feeling of the heart that pounds along with the rhythm of your other half. Of that one who will forgive every stupid thing you have and will do, but will never let you fall. He who will always have his arms wide open without ever threatening to close them and forever leave you in the dark. The person who will turn on the light so your soul can find its' way back to his, so eternity will be spent together. Of the man who will make your world _feel_ complete by just breathing.

My Liam; my every indescribable emotion.

"Can I kiss you now?" I asked with a shy voice, the sun bursting in with more light through the glass; reflecting and shooting off kaleidoscope colors into the dungeon.

"I love you, Lily Potter."

And with a smile on his dazzling face, Liam leaned down to meet me half way. To where our lips met with the purest of needs, with the sincerest of touches; just like the very first as flawless, just as fearless. Completely perfect.

Our mouths moved gently and soft among another. Twisting and becoming alive as the tips of my toes started to become tingly even as I stood on them, my fingers intertwining in his brown strands. Holding on to him, savoring him to make him more real. Because I had missed this, missed him. Missed his caresses and magic-filled words that sent me soaring through my personal heaven.

Where him and I only existed; where I never had let go.

* * *

**AN: Are you guys aware of how HARD it was to make these two end up back together?**

**I know you can tell, just look at that monstrosity of a chapter! Lol. Nah, but really. It was hard. I wrote Gracen Goyle as a backup character a long time ago, never thinking that I would like her but, there you go. I like her and I had to make her all noble and giving, pfffft.**

**Well, can blame me can you? Lily had dibbs! She met him first!**

**Anyway, I'm off! ****Hope you like it! And I'm sorry for my late, late, late update. I've been working (Whooo! Im making it in the real world! Take that unsupportable father!) but I promise to do these chapters as fast as possible.**

**Love you all.**

**P.S. Dude, why have my - become so small! I need dashes!  
**


	38. Fire Siblings and the Holy Union

**Dominique's POV**

Out by the open shore, where the waves crashed against thick rocks of a cliff, the air blew peacefully. Nothing much was heard but the swift wind and the waves flowing gracefully in their own oceanic habitat. It was a serene moment, one filled with perfect tranquility that one would assume the world really was at peace from the atmosphere.

And up in the rocky cliff, a house stood mighty and filled with magic. A cottage that decorated the solitary place with its' presence; standing its' ground as a tribute to a place that was not defeated during the dark times in the Wizardying World. A reminder that the light-side, no matter the devastation that era brought, made it out from the chaotic mess, capable of raising a family in the new world.

It was joy, it was bliss, it was peace-

"_Argh_!"

Err...nevermind.

It was the home of a group of Weasley's.

"Dominique, can you please sit still for just a bloody minute?" Molly, my oldest redheaded cousin, shouted at me after I let out a scream filled with frustration. Her eyes hard in the reflection from the grand mirror in front of us.

"We've been here for _ages_, Molls! My ass is numb and the blood in my legs stopped circling!" I hissed back, a little more controlled as my cousins' glare didn't disappear. (What? Molly was the only relative that scared the magic out of me. Of course my father and Grandma Molly are up in the list, but Molly can really show _exactly_ why she was named after our grandmother. And it wasn't because Uncle Percy was still seeking some kind of forgiveness.) "Can't you just leave me alone and run off to find Victoire and play with her?"

"_No_-"Molly spat, pushing my back roughly against the chair she had me trapped in. Making sure I wouldn't try and take off as she yanked a long section of my red hair. (Bloody aggressive witch.) "Now, be a good little witch and shut the hell up." She smiled threateningly in the mirror as she grabbed a fuming, metallic object with a clamp from a floating tabletop next to her.

"Why isn't anyone else getting tortured by you, Molly?" I asked, groaning as I stomped my bare feet on the wood of my floor. "This ruddy house is filled with girls .Can't you go find one and let me sleep?"

"How can you sleep at this time, Dominique?" Molly replied, her tone much more calm than when she was viciously man-handling me. "Are you not a bit excited for today? It's the perfect weather out, and Uncle Bill is in an incredible mood."

"That's because I'm back at home-"I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the memory of the idiotic grin my dad had on his scarred face when he led me to my old room. "I've been gone for a month, Molls, and he makes it seems like I've been gone for years."

"He misses you." Molly interjected, sounding so sure that her statement was more of a fact than an opinion. "My dad was like that when I left. You know he was dying to get me to leave my flat in that muggle city that every time I was home for dinner he would drown me in ads from homes around the Burrow or Godrics Hallow."

I flinched as the steam of her muggle contraption graced the skin of my neck. "Yeah, Molls, but you _disappeared_ for three months after you moved out. You didn't even have the decency to owl Victoire or I in that time. Uncle Percy was constantly trying to go in a hunting spree for you. Dad and Uncle George were already discussing ideas of the search when you appeared again..."I stared at her smirking face in the glass ahead of us. "You're never going to tell me where you went, eh?"

After a couple of seconds of bitting her lip and calming the red tint to her cheeks, Molly moved her eyes to look directly into mine in the mirror. "Let's just say that I was experiencing the life of a teenage muggle girl."

"Is that good?" I raised my eyebrow, my thoughts never comprehending how Molly turned out to be the only one from the Third Generation that loved acting like she had no magic in her blood. Like she was normal and fragile. Just a common girl without the supernatural. (I suppose she gets the love for muggles from Granddad Arthur.)

"It was...amazing."She nodded, her own red curls bouncing around her lightly freckled face. "Something I would never regret of doing."

"You act like a distant relative, Molls, you know that?" I kept my stare firmly on her face, even as hers went back to her steaming device and my red hair. "You live such a secretive life that no one seems to know much about you. And no one asks because we're afraid you won't show up anymore; seeing as you hardly do."

Three minutes ticked by, silence taking in and invading my old room as we let the new development take over us.

"I love our mental lot, Dom, you _have_ to know that-"Molly said in a low voice after another minute, the steam making me wince again. "More than anything in the world. You lot are family, my blood, part of my life...But there's things that I like to keep to myself. I choose my muggle appearance because its' who I am...and everything that I live in that does not concern any of you. What _should_ matter is what happens when I'm around you, and the happiness that fills my heart when I am."

I felt a sting behind my eyes, the moment turning to a warm one. (Son of a bitter witch.) "So-" I coughed. "Are you done now? I'm certain I just felt the last tingle in my left ass cheek; signaling that my entire lower-half is immobile right about now..."

Laughing, with her eyes glistening like mine were, Molly rolled her curler away from my hair. Letting a spiral of hair bounce pass my mid-back. "One second, cousin-" She mumbled, her brows furrowing as she sunk her fingers into my hair and began pulling, shaking, tousling, and looking concentrated as her muggle hair-contraption began steaming on the floating table . "There, perfection." She smiled, her hands pulling me off from my seat.

In the reflecting mirror, in front of the muggled-out Molly, a girl with intense emerald eyes stared at the waves decorating her head. All of them gracefully flowing all around, looking inflamed and burning.

_Knock. Knock._

"Come in-"Molly called, patting my back as I was distracted away from my appearance.

"Molls, I know you said I wasn't allowed in here because you would cut off my bullocks and feed my manly-bits to Uncle Charlie's new dragon, but I swear we have an emergency. And I am willing to risk the beating and curses if you just spare me one moment to talk before you attack." Closing his grey-eyes immediately, already flinching and grimacing, Teddy Lupin covered his face with his palms.

I snickered, glad that I wasn't the only one scared of Molly at times.

"It's okay, Ted, _relax_. What happened?"My redheaded cousin asked, her smirk becoming more pronounced; loving the fear in the man older than her.

"Louis-"Ted said, his palms still on his face. "He refuses to come out from his room, even after Bill and Fleur threaten to bust the door open. He basically told them to shove off if they didn't want him to disappear for the rest of the week. They're both enraged that they sent me in here, making me risk my life so they can calm down before the rest of the family gets here."

I sighed, a spark of anger igniting in my chest. "That son of a French Veela!" I hissed, snatching up a white box from my old bed and my wand as I stormed past Teddy.

Any other time I would have enjoyed with a grinning face the tantrum Louis can throw. It was very entertaining to watch Bill and Fleur burn with anger as their precious baby boy acted like if he was just that, sending them to their wits end just to pacify him. It was ridiculous, but it always seemed to get the attention off of them know that I wasn't the only messed-up child they had. That I, owning first place of the mental gene, was not the only person that can make them snap their mask of the soothing parents.

But _not_ today.

"Louis!" I growled, shoving the box underneath one arm and pointing my wand towards the door in front of me. "_Alohomora!_" Hissing the spell with some hate, not seeing as why mum couldn't just cast the simple spell and slap some sense into her son, I kicked the door open.

"-What the hell?"

"Shut it!" I snapped at my brother, finding him to be sitting by his windowsill as I banged the door closed behind us; catching a few footsteps outside the hall at the sudden interruption of Louis's voice inside the cottage.

"You can't storm into this house again, Dominique, and act like its' yours!" My brother hissed, still seated in the rocking chair by his window.(One that used to occupy my room but that I left behind in the move.) "Get the bloody hell out of my room!"

Ignoring him, I tossed the white box onto his navy-blue sheets of his bed and proceeded to stomp my way towards him. Glaring with the anger that had turn from a mere spark to an engulfing fire. "Look, you thickheaded, idiotic, troll-looking, fairy descendant, flobberworm-"I pointed my wand to his face, the fire in me sparking even more as he pulled out his own. "I don't know what the _hell_ is your problem, but I suggest you build a bridge and fly over it! Today is not the day for you to act like a damn prat, Louis, and make everyone's life frustrating!"

"Get out of my room, Dominique!" Louis repeated, his wand-end glowing red as he squeezed it tighter in his fingers. "Go back to your enchanting new home and take all of those ruddy people with you!"

"This isn't your house, you wanker-"I yelled, getting irritated by the tone of ownership he had. "And '_those people_' are your cousins! Oh, and believe me, I would give anything to be in _my_ house right now, but unfortunately for the two of us , we have the same parents and they want me to be here!"

"Fine, stay!" He shouted, his blue-eyes still fuming with our common fury. "But as soon as today is over, be gone! Don't ever come back and leave me the hell alone! Go to Rex Rowle and adopt him as a brother, because Merlin knows I'm tired of being yours! You're the stupidest witch among the planet, Dominique Weasley, and I can't wait until you vanish from my life!"

A gust of inner wind raced up to my chest, smacking my bones with a crushing feel as it took over the flames of bewildered anger; defusing it from its' intense burning.

My breath became ragged and thick, my emerald eyes staring at the blonde boy in front of me with a look of painfully undefinable emotions. A rush of old memories playing before my eyes as his angry blue gaze still penetrated mine; all of them of a redheaded girl and a little faired-hair boy. Of brother and sister...of partners in crime.

With a knot of those memories, burning and hurting my throat, I blinked my eyes away from Louis. Turning them to a bolted together, rusty silver, iron hard trunk by the rocking chair.

Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody's trunk.

I stared at the tag that hung loosely from a string on the metal handle. Red letters that spelled _Here you go, you whinny Veela. Enjoy it._ A smirk threatening to overcome the twists of emotions in my head and in my chest; savoring the mocking tone to my handwriting.

"For someone who constantly bitched about getting their stuff back, you never opened the trunk..." I muttered, my eyes flicking back to a deep-exhaling Louis.

"I don't need you, Dominique." My brother replied harshly, ignoring my slight insult. "So, forgive me if I can't see why you're still standing here. _Leave_."

The lump in my throat became bigger, hurting much more as I attempted to swallow it. "You should've opened it-"I said, trying to find my sparks again as I was being hurt by little Louis. "_Aperio..._" I whispered, tapping my wand at the metallic handle three times. Focusing in the first layer of the deep trunk, only wanting that one to be open.

"Dominique-"

Gritting my teeth from the lack of infuriated response my body was giving as Louis continued to glare at me, I sat on the rocking chair. Patting the white fabric on my body as it scrunch up in the action, even as I bent to pick up one of the many pieces of parchment scattering the first layer of the trunk. "I told you I would give you the trunk back, Louis-" I said to my brother, pulling open one of the squares of paper. "Of course, until I was ready for you to have it back. I expected the moment you knew what was in here to be completely different, obviously."

"Dominique-"

"Shh. Listen." I hushed him, noticing the anger in his inherited veela eyes decrease a fraction as I began reading the parchment.

_Louis_.

_It's been a week since Derrick left. I assume that by now you've found out about the flight the Slytherin took..(Ruddy nosy people.)_

_ I feel like the world disappeared from beneath my feet, Louis. I feel like I was walking on a cloud made of the softest of marshmallow, a happy smile on my face, so blinded by the beauty around me that I never noticed when the end of the cloud appeared._

_ I fell, Louis. I fell straight from the sky and I landed on my head. Making everything blank out from my dreams when I reopened my eyes. It feels like there was nothing...like there never was anything from the beginning._

_ If it wasn't because the baby kicks...I wouldn't even think that the pain is real. But it is. The baby moves inside and every time it stretches I remember..._

_ I need you, Louis..._

_ Why do you have to be so far away? Why are you the only bloody person that I can trust with this? Why can't I send this despite that?_

_ ...I've got to go. It's past midnight and mum will be checking up on me soon._

_ I love you, brother._

_ Dom._

I crushed the parchment into a ball, throwing it to Louis as I opened another letter. Turning my eyes towards the scribbles in the paper when Louis's face began breaking from its' fury.

_Louis._

_ I had a dream about the baby. _

_ I imagined it in my arms, imagined feeling its' warmth. I heard the heartbeat and its' soft breathing, but it was all in my head._

_ Aunt Angelina was trying to soothe me, I was crying. Then dad was there, he was trying to rip the baby from my arms as mum cried hysterically in the background._

_ It was a hectic mess, but I managed to comprehend it._

_ The baby was dead. I was just pretending it was alive...Guess I am as mental as everyone said, eh?_

_ I went to see Aunt Angelina to St. Mungos today. It was my last meeting with a Healer before the due-date of the baby is given. She got mad at me, practically told me to come off it and stop acting like someone died. (Ironic?) She's making mum feed me forcefully, telling her that I am malnourished and the baby needs some strength._

_ But I don't need food, Louis, I need my heart. I need Derrick back...but he isn't coming._

_ Tomorrow will be three weeks, officially. _

_ I received your letter, and I'm so disappointed in you, Louis. So disappointed that you can't see through the fake smile or happy insulting words. That you're buying my strength just like the rest of the family, but I know you're playing the part too._

_ I know you can see I'm already dying._

_Dom._

Ignoring the knot that had broken through me, setting tears to push past my eyeballs, I grabbed another parchment.

_Louis,_

_ Hope you arrived at Hogwarts alright. Enjoyed my money, prat? Bought yourself many chocolate frogs? You better have gotten your girlfriend one as well; send my regards to her. Haven't seen much of that McLaggen girl, but, oi, she puts that thick smile on your face._

_ So, guess what?_

_ Remember when you told mum and dad that there was no harm in hanging out with Rowle? Remember when you said that all the damage had been done?_

_ Well, you were wrong._

_ He left me..._

_ It's fine though, right? _

_ Dom_.

"Stop it..." Louis breathed, his piercing blue eyes looking up at me from his knees on the floor. "I don't want to hear any of that anymore, Dom."

"But you have to." I said, crumbling that parchment and tossing it on the floor."At least...to this one you do."

_Louis,_

_ Well, you overly-complaining prat, if you're reading this then that means you have gotten your trunk back. You had to throw a hissy-fit for it, but I hope that in the end of this you will understand why I took it and won't be so aggravated at me. Merlin knows I'm getting tired of hearing you whine about it every second of the day, and it's not fair for the family to have to hear it either._

_ So, here. Enjoy._

_ Look, Louis, this isn't easy for me so I'm just going to go right into it. So, please, continue reading this until all of my unnatural words are done._

_ ...I understand that you're filled with so much hatred towards me at the moment; I get that you're stuck in a place that forbids you from overlooking the past, but you've got to let it go, Louis. As I love to say to Bill, it's my life and whatever choices I make it's because it's what makes me happy. And I'm not doing it to hurt you or anyone else, I'm just seeking my bliss._

_ At a certain point in life, little Louis, you had to realize that I was going to leave Shell Cottage. I'm an almost eighteen year-old adult with a baby and a fiancee, it's about ruddy time that I spread my wings and fly off of our cliff. Victoire did it, and it was time for me to do it too._

_ I know you loath Derrick with all your might, and I thank you for it. I'll always be grateful that you have such fury to defend me and your nephew from the man who did us harm, but the thing is, Louis, that that man is our everything as well. Derrick made his mistakes, but he fixed it. I know that it doesn't take away the pain that I felt, because I will never forget the month when I felt like dying everyday, but it was also the month in which I realized how much I love him._

_ He is my entire life, but that doesn't shadow the family...It doesn't blind you from my eyes, Louis._

_ You're my brother and you'll always be that. He can't replace you from my heart, just like you can't replace him. I love you both with every fiber of my being, but in different ways. He is my heart and you're my blood..._

_ Please don't make me choose, Louis. I won't be able to bear it if you do. I need you in my life as much as I need Rowle to breathe. _

_ You were always by my side; you were my secret rock when the world was falling apart, the person that held me together, even if you knew it or not. But life changes, mate, and you have to progress with it. And in one day, long from now I hope, you and Coral will be in the same spot I am in, and then you will understand that you can be deeply in love with someone and still hold me in a pedestal like I do you._

_ Forgive, Louis, and be a part of my life. A life that includes your future brother-in-law, and my mistakes with it._

_ I love you, brother. Never forget that._

_ Your sister, _

_ Dom._

"I'm sure there's plenty more beautifully written letters in there, but nothing as corny as this." I said after a moment of silence, watching as the blonde gaped at the letter in my hands. "I debated whether I should have kept any of this, even if I should have written this letter. I went back and forth with it, deciding in just putting the dead body of an gnome in it and pissing you off...but, my heart overpowered my wicked thought. _Obviously_..."

"I-I just needed to know that you were still going to be there for me, Dominique-"Gracing the room with his soft voice, instead of his shouting, Louis looked up at me. Taking the letter from my hands and tossing it back to the trunk. He rose up on his knees, his pale hands reaching up to my face and running his fingers underneath my eyes. Wiping away the evidence of tears; of the evidence that for the first time in history, he made me cry. "I've never been used to having my sisters far from me, that when I thought of you leaving...I'm just scared."

I smirked, pushing his hands from my face. Holding them onto my own as I looked him right into the eyes he inherited from mum. "It contradicts every insult I have said to you since I could talk, but I love you. I would never leave you; _ever_. Why would I do such a daft thing, Louis? Who're you suppose to turn to? Victoire?"

We both snorted.

"Impossible, she'd never go werewolf hunting with me-"Louis leered, pulling me up on my feet. "Won't ever piss off Teddy and fill his room with gnomes, won't ever have as much fun pranking Slytherins, or even fly a dragon when we go to Romania, won't ever wrestle with me and throw me into a knit of skrewts when she's mad."

"Can't forget she won't play Quidditch with you when the thunder is roaring and the rain is pouring-"I offered, smiling like a fool as Louis opened the white box in his bed and took out a long see-through fabric. With flowers made of a thicker material decorating the edges of it; throwing it over my waves and pinning it into the strands.

"Dominique, it's-" Opening the door in front of my brother and I, Bill Weasley marched a couple of centimeters inside. His eyes opening wide and falling silent as two blondes crept up by his side.

"_Oh mon dieu_." My mother breathed, her blue eyes sparkling with tears as she looked directly at me. A palm placed over her mouth, only exposing part of her pride that roamed on her face.

Walking past me, to stand next to our immediate family, Louis grinned widely at me. "And she'll never be the one to anger you, make you curse,and make you cry on your wedding day."

Rolling her eyes as Louis and I both laughed, Victoire frowned as dad walked to pull the veil over my face. "No, but I'll be the one to kick your ass right after the ceremony."

**~*!~*!~*!~**

With the garden of Shell Cottage adorned in bright orange decorations~~~everything from the long cloth that connected from the back door to the alter, the fabrics on the table tops, the flowers blooming in the bushes, the dresses of the brides maids and maid of honor, the vest on the groom and best man, and the collections of flowers in my hands~~~I stared with shinning eyes at my surroundings.

My eyes landing on my Maid of Honor, Victoire, and the baby balancing in her arms. His green eyes staring back at me with a hint of glee, almost as if he was enjoying the moment. Almost as if he understood what was going on around him. He gave a gorgeous smile, his intense dark red hair shinning in the sunlight as the Ministry Official raised his wrinkly hands in the air.

I turned, feeling a squeeze to my fingers, and noticed that Dustin wasn't only looking at me, but that he was also grinning at his father.

"-Beloved children of Merlin, we are gathered here in the sight of all that is magical and binding, to join together this Wizard and this Witch to bond their souls for the rest of their lives." My eyes blinked away from the man I love and our child, and towards the Ministry Official. Hearing silent sobs from my mother in the background, and the soft mutters of Mrs. Rowle, Derrick's mother.

"-Derrick Rowle, under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept this Witch to be your wife, to bond and join your soul, to share and strengthen the magical essence that lives within you, to live together after the blessing of Merlin's ordinance in this holiest of ceremonies? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; forsaking all others as long as your heart beats?"

Feeling another squeeze to my fingers, my heart went to overload as a velvet voice invaded my ears. "I do."

Instead of tears racing down my cheeks like a normal bride, like how I see Victoire do in her own wedding, I smirked widely and smugly at the man next to me. My eyes turning towards his coal ones as the Official began to recite his line.

It was ironic how something so ancient and common, something I loathed and baffled me from the very beginning could turn my heart into a hyperactive fool. How it could send it racing with a certain bliss that couldn't be fulfilled before. An emotion that never existed in my body until I met Derrick; until I held Dustin in my arms for the very first time.

I was in love.

Too the deepest extend of the word, perhaps even beyond that.

"Dominique Fleur Weasley-" At the mention of my name, a few more sobs broke out in the background. Causing me to turn my smirk to my guest, and letting my happiness be shone to them with my gaze. I chuckled to myself as I saw my mum huddled with my father, trying her hardest not to cry even more. I watched as Teddy patted Louis's back, both of them trying to contain sparkling tears in their 'manly' eyes and Uncle Harry tried to soothe Grandmum Molly as Aunt Ginny grinned hugely at me. "-Under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept this Wizard to be your husband, to bond and join your soul, to share and strengthen the magical essence that lives within you, to live together after the blessing of Merlin's ordinance in this holiest of ceremonies? Will you love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; forsaking all others as long as your heart beats?"

Turning again just in time to see Rex Rowle, the best man, send a flirtatious smile at my cousin, Molly, I rolled my eyes at the Ministry Official. "I already am." I replied, my smirk stretching as Victoire frowned, Molly laughed, Rex sneered, and Derrick chuckled at my side. "Merlin, I even gave him a baby already but if I have to...I suppose..._I do_."

With both palms once again, the Official gestured the guest. Motioning us to turn and face the audience, hand in hand. "I declare you two bonded for life, blessed in this sacred union, man and wife-"A loud roar erupted from my family, guest, and the new Slytherin heritage I had just gained as I threw my arms around Derrick's neck. Pulling him down to collide our lips.

Our mouths moved together in such familiarity that my heart knew it was at home. That this was and will be everything I will ever want this.

"I give you Derrick and Dominique Rowle!"

And that forever it will be.

* * *

**AN: Wheeeeeeeeeew! That was long, huh? It freaken took me all day! But I was in the need to write and whala! Here we go.**

**Im sorry I couldnt go into much detail about the wedding, but this was a chapter basically about Louis and Dominique fixing things...whatever that means. They have a strange way of showing their love for each other. Just like more siblings do. Oh, and I didnt want to exclude Victoire or anything but its' just that these two are much close and blah blah blah.**

**Oh, another thing. This story has like 4 more chapters left before it's done. And I've been itching to write a chapter about the De la Cruz's and after this chapter about Molly. What do you guys think? At the end of this story, yes? After the epilogue and everything. Like hidden moments.**

**Well, that's about it.**

**Next Chapter: Albus's POV!  
**


	39. The Result of Exploring

**Albus's POV**

"That graduation speech was really something, eh, mate?"

Tossing some of my possessions carelessly behind my back, so they could land on my bed, I shrugged at the voice. Knowing perfectly well that their eyes were boring into my back as I continued removing things from my nightstand.

"Coral McLaggen really outdid herself with such words. Rose was so moved with the speech that she's thinking about asking Coral for permission to recite a few lines in our graduation next year. No doubt that Rose is going to get the title of Head Girl, she's too damn brilliant for that. Although-"Looking like he wasn't getting the hint that I really didn't give a flying-Merlin, Scorpius Malfoy kept rambling. "I'm not sure if I'll be proud or angry when she receives her owl. I mean, Head Girl shares a private headquarter with the Head _Boy_, right?"

"I expect you better pray to Merlin, then, that Alice Longbottom steals my cousins' title..."I murmured, my eyes focusing on a picture-frame I lifted up; taking a double look at it before I could toss it.

It was a moving picture-with the background so vivid it looked like a clip from a muggle film. There were light blue skies; the perfect color shinning in that day. The blue so light but intensified by the rays of the sun poking through the white clouds. There was a light swooshing of wind, I could tell, by the ruffling of the trees that were also present in the picture. A large ground filled with green and birds chirping in some branches, but in the middle of the perfect scene, was a couple.

The couple ran through the photograph, the wind swaying their hair back as the bloke chased after the girl. They had great smiles on their faces, their chests moving from their breathing and laughter as they continued to run in front of the camera that was holding their moment. And then out of nowhere, just like how they appeared into the photograph, the bloke finally reaches the girl and knocks her to the grassy-ground.

She laughs, her body softly colliding with the ground as the dark-haired boy jumps onto her. It looks aggressive, but by the laughter increasing in the blonde girls' face, one can tell it was all part of their game. Even as he wiggles his fingers in her face and proceeds to trace them to the sides of her stomach. He tickles her, you can tell, as her cheeks begin gaining a red tint and he chuckles with strength as she tries to wriggle herself free from his straddling pose.

Giving up as they roll, not once but twice, into the same position they were in the beginning when he started tickling her, they stare at each other. Gazing into each other's eyes; a clash of the brightest blue and the deepest emerald. The blonde girl moves her pale hands towards his face, a smile on hers as she still laughs as she cups his cheeks. They share another light laugh, and the bloke lowers his head~~~their passionate and true gaze still held and visible to whoever stared at the magicked photo.

The wind blows and a bird is seen flying to a lake a few yards away, but that sight gets distracted when the couple meet their lips. It was simple, you can tell, but so caressing. So soft and honest that you can see the love radiate from the pair of them as that bit ends and the girl starts passing through the photo all over again. The beautiful scene repeating itself as the magic didn't capture the lips moving away from each other.

Not capturing when the couple began racing towards the lake when an old, ragged man appeared with his scarlet-eyed cat and his glowering expression shook the two off each other~~~but that's okay, there was always the memory to relive that moment and continue it on.

"Emily took that picture-"Malfoy broke my reminiscing, his words making me jump away from the photo. "Louis and Freddie had put their sickles together to get her that camera as her birthday gift, do you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember..." I muttered, my eyes scanning the couple in the photograph once more as I walked away from my best friend and headed towards the end of my bed. Fighting with myself not to give it one more look; so I tossed it into my trunk. With a much more careful swing than how I had been handling my other objects. "They tried playing it off like it was just for her to record _their_ moments of triumph, when it reality they had given it much thought."

"James reckons that they love her more than they make it seem." Scorpius continued, his tone sounding more awkward than what the situation called for. "...It made the perfect Christmas present, didn't it? When she gave it to you?"

Lowering my head in a rush of emotions, I grabbed a stack of letters that I had received throughout my Sixth Year from my parents, grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Teddy, Molly, and Uncle Bill's only daughters and threw them into my trunk without a second glance. (I was well aware, that somewhere along that stack, were a few forced letters between my cousin in Romania and I.) "It was a good thing that I had opened it that morning and not at night like I was intending to." I whispered, staring at the rubbish decorating the top of my four-poster.

"Why's that, mate?"

"Because-"My voice uncharacteristically broke. "The morning I received it I had a giant smile on my face, thinking that I had to give Em a tighter hug when I saw her for such a wicked gift...but if I were to have gotten it in the night, I would have tossed it aside and probably left it in Godrics Hallow and never given it a second thought."

"Erm...what's the difference-"

"The difference is, Malfoy, that that was the night I made up my mind about Ophelia and Nia." I hissed, turning to him as the objects on my bed seemed more useless than it had in the beginning. "It was the night that I told Nia to excuse herself from my home as I went to attend to De la Cruz. It was the night that I had allowed Ophelia to cross the line of what I knew was right and what she was turning me into...The night I had so idiotically began to lose everything that I had."

Just as I let those words go, I felt the presence of the old photograph of Nia and I burn in my trunk. A wave of invisible forces reminding me that a better insight to my past was only a few inches away. That a capture of my old glorious days with the blonde Gryffindor was right behind me; hurting me to turn.

Malfoy scratched his blonde hair, looking undecided between turning to his own photographs with his beloved Rose or staring at his best friend as the moment got intense and I was an inch of letting my knot of emotions release themselves. "...Look, mate, I'm not going to stand here and pretend like you did nothing wrong, because you did-"He made his choice, removing his grey eyes from a photograph of him and my cousin with Dominique's baby. "You hurt Harper and the world knows it, but the world also knows that you're in a great deal of pain, mate. You can't keep torturing yourself without making yourself feel like you're about to die...I see it in your eyes, Al, you've got to let it go."

I picked up my modern copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages _and threw it inside my trunk; noticing that it was still in its' packaging. (Well, that was a brilliant waste of my allowance.) "Do you remember, Malfoy, when that misunderstanding happened with you and Rose? Remember what you told me when I told you to let it go?"

Malfoy glanced at my packed trunk, probably thinking back to that haunting image that he nosed into when I was reliving the memory. "...I know what I said, Al. That I would continue apologizing a thousand more times until I made it better..."

I gave him a solemn nod, closing my trunk shut. "You also said that difference between you and I, at those times, was that I no longer loved Nia like you loved Rose." Giving the handle a tug, making sure that it was perfectly shut, I waved my wand at it. Locking it from any sneaky fingers. "But you were wrong, mate."

"Al..." Scorpius frowned, lowering himself onto his bed as I headed towards the door. "Where're you going?" He called, stopping me before I could reach for the door.

"Taking a walk., I've finished packing."

"A week early, Potter." My best friend pointed out, giving me a confused stare.

I nodded once more, I pulled the door of the dormitory open. "Then that gives me a week to do some exploring."

**X**

You know when you've done something so wrong and your head doesn't stop reminding you if it? Like it's taken it upon itself to constantly remind you? Just like a beeping muggle alarm clock that wakes you up every five minutes even when you've pressed the 'off' button so many bloody times; flashing red signals that prevent you from enjoying your sleep?

Well, that's sort of how it works with conscience mind, isn't it? You do something wrong, something that you've known since the exact second after you did it that it would have major consequences, but you still do it anyway. You do it knowing how you're going to feel after it's done...but _why_?

Why do we do it?~~~Why did _I_ do it?

So how, _how_ in that moment when you get everything you want you let it go? Why is it that after I was finally in my personal bliss, with a girl so amazing by my side, I let it slip through my fingers and fly away with the wind? How did I watch it fade and didn't even utter a word before it disappeared too far from where I stood?

Because I'm an idiot, yes, you're right. _I am_.

"No, stop-"Somewhere along my self-bashing, I heard a round of giggles echo off the corridor walls of the seventh floor. "Stop, stop."

"_Why_?" Another voice whined; one that I recognized even as it murmured playfully.

Feeling a sickening twist inside my intestines, I took a quiet step to the corner. Turning as I saw a dark-haired witch pull on a scolding face to the bloke before her. "Because."

"Oh, you got to give me a better reason than that." The git snorted, shoving the hand that the girl had on his shoulder away; giving himself access to lean forward and sink his mouth into the crook of her neck.

Flushing as she gasped, the girl shook her head. "C-Come on, stop." She giggled again, closing her eyes as the bloke shook his black hair and continued with his actions. "There can be prefects around, teachers, Filch, or-"

"Your _brother_." I interjected, feeling sick and nauseated as the witch giggled once more as a hand escaped inside her shirt.

"_Al_!" Emily bellowed, her emerald eyes flashing wide open as she shoved her boyfriend away. A different blush crossing her pale features as she pulled on the end of her purple top.

"Oi! What the bloody hell, Albus?" James glared, slapping his hands over his middle un-shamefully as Emily turned redder by his action. "What are you doing here, you pathetic loser?"

"Exploring." I stated, scrunching my face at them in disgust. "Does mum know you ditch their opportunity to get you out of Hogwarts for the day to celebrate and her rants about how proud she is of her baby for his graduation; just so you can snog the adopted one?"

My brother frowned rougher, removing his hands from his trousers as he found it safe again. "Shove off, prat!"

"Will do-"I saluted, stalking away from them.

"Where were we?"

"Going to the Library to return my books-"Emily replied to my brothers' flirtatious tone as I cringed again, but with a proud smirk as James whined once more. (Well, that just made the day a bit brighter.)

I frowned to myself as I continued down my path in the seventh floor; an aggressive knot finding its' way into my chest and claiming territory there. It pushed past the oxygen, past the bones, past my beating heart, and just retracted its' claws. Sinking them deep into the tissue there with a fight ready to explode for its' claim.

It was jealousy, I know.

Jealousy that James ~~~being the thick one, the daft one, the idiot one~~~held on tighter to what he loved. The he dug his nails into what was Emily's essence and he fought with every part of his fiber for her. That he treasured every single moment that he had, never planning on resigning even as their own problems occurred.

I was jealous of my brother and his undying loyalty to the girl he loved.

_Boom!_

"Merlin-"I breathed, my heart seeming to fail in its' previous heartbeat as I was startled by a loud noise. I quickly pulled my wand from my pocket and pointed it towards my back, where a broomstick closet burst open and spat out two figures on the marbled floor. "Freddie?"

Grinning as I gawked, my wand still pointed towards the racket of noise, my redhead cousin peered up at me. "Hey, cousin, what's up?" He asked cheerfully, rolling off the person he fell out of the closet with. He dusted himself off and cracked his knuckles as his grin remained on his face casually. "Charming day for a walk, isn't it?"

"You crushed my back, you git!" The girl hissed, extending her hand to the redhead as she shoved her brown hair away from her face. Exposing her bright eyes and her swollen lips, never registering my presence. "You better hope I'm not left with bruises, Weasley."

"Evanna?" I gaped even more, this time actually feeling the vomit crawl its' way up my throat as I made myself known to the witch.

"Oh, hey, Potter." My ex girlfriend responded aimlessly, pulling her long hair towards the sides of her neck; covering the blotchy bite-marks on her pale skin. (Ones that were definitely not there in the morning during class.) "-We've got to stop reclining on these ruddy doors, Fredrick. Next time we're going to end up breaking something."

Nodding in agreement, my cousin reached over to button the Ravenclaw's black shirt. "Wouldn't be the first time. I broke my wrist last time when we landed on the floor, causing a statue to drop its' sword, remember?"

"Yeah-"Evanna Nott sighed, buckling Freddie as his belt hung limply down his middle. (Oh, for Merlin's sake.)

"What the hell?" I blurted, bringing their attention to the fact that I was still standing there; completely disgusted and ill-eased. "Refrain yourselves from touching each other in my presence, please. Or at least give me a few seconds to adjust to my new discovery..."

"What discovery?" I caught Nott raising her eyebrow as I bent down, trying to breathe deeply and clear my head from the images. (I was bloody cursed. Why did I have to stumble upon these ruddy, sexually active people to notice how far in rock bottom I actually was?)

"You _two_-"I huffed, giving it another three seconds before I could look back at the unlikely broomstick-hogging-pair. "How long have you lying bastards been a couple?"

"_Couple_?" Evanna repeated, a snort in her tone. "Who's a couple?"

"You and Freddie." I glared, finally able to look at them without wanting to upchuck that chocolate frog I had hours ago.

"We're not a couple, Potter-_we're not_!" The girl hissed, catching my rolling of eyes. "We're just snogging occasionally. Nothing serious, nothing important. Just two acquaintances that tried to find heat one winter day."

"So, you've been together since the Holidays?"

"We're not together!" Evanna snapped harshly again, her bright eyes already glowing with fury.

"_Right_." I rolled my eyes, unstirred by her mini-outburst. "Well, whatever is the case, Evanna, just be nice to my cousin." A bubble of annoyance grew in next to the knot in my chest as they stared at me with a quizzical look. "And you, mate, be good to Evanna, alright? Bloody girl is too much to handle at times, but she has a great heart. And I'm glad, even as bizarre as it is, that you two are together. I don't appreciate the lies, but whatever levitates your feather."

Evanna and my redheaded cousin shared another gaze-a deeper skeptical one.

"Why're you telling us this, Albus?" The Ravenclaw asked, her eyebrow raising a bit higher on her face as Freddie still held the puzzled expression; just nodding his head in agreement.

"Because..."I shrugged, mumbling to myself as another curse ran through my head. (I should have stayed in my dormitory and endured Malfoy's awkwardness as he tried helping me in my dilemma.) "Whenever the heart gives you a good motive to feel something for someone, something innocent and honest, you have to hold on tight to it. Especially if it makes you feel like your walking on a cloud every second of the day...love's something wickedly brilliant.. and you should never let it go."

"Apologizing wouldn't hurt, Potter-" Nott called after me, just as my feet had found their rhythm again and they desperately wanted to take me away from the new couple.

My back remained towards them, my eyes lowering to the marbled floor as the witch spoke words that no one had told me before.

"...It's probably the next step, Al. You've given distance, you've talked to her, you showed her that you needed her...now it's time for the formal apology."

"You've got nothing to lose, mate-"Freddie added, his voice low and without mock. "The school year is over in a couple of days, don't leave knowing you could have given it a sincere attempt."

My eyes focused harder on the floor; their words sinking in.

"Don't keep feeling sorry for yourself, cousin, _do_ something about it."

I took in a deep breath and continued to allow my feet to drag me away~~~letting them lead me to my rightful place.

**Third Person POV**

In the highest room inside of Gryffindor Tower, a girl stared emotionless out towards the field ahead. Her knees brought up to her chest as she sat at the ledge of the balcony, her heart beating boringly in her body; noticing how intense the sun shined, how loud the birds chirped, and how happy everyone outside laughed.

She used to be one of them~~~one of those people that laughed with joy filling their hearts. A girl who smiled because life was amazing; because she had it at all.

But that wasn't the case nowadays. Now she was just broken; a fragment of her past days. She let her legs swing carelessly, slowly, over the ledge. Her legs separated by a thick marble pole that was holding part of the balcony together. The warm wind blew through her blonde strands as she spotted an unfriendly familiar head in the sea of students and recently graduated. A witch with feathered black hair and brown eyes, giggling a few yards away from the balcony the blonde sat in; not aware of the blue eyes sending daggers at her.

Nia Harper felt the hole in her heart plunge a little deeper into the fragile material that made that specific muscle; feeling a sickening lunge electrify itself inside of her. Making her cross her arms over her chest for a useless attempt of protection; almost as if by that she would hold her heart in place. (Impossible. She was sure it was hanging loosely by an artery.)

Incapable of subduing that known wave of pain, Nia lowered her right side against the floor of the balcony. Feeling ill inside as she knew how pathetic she had gotten, how weak she became. She laid herself on the hard ground, her watery eyes still looking at the grounds of Hogwarts and of the girl who had taken everything from her.

Nia couldn't help but to feel a strong hate mix with her hurt. How was it that Ophelia could live with herself? How was it that she could continue on with her day as if nothing ever happened, like she hadn't destroyed someone else's life, and still manage to keep a devious grin on her face? How could she still gallop around the school living her days when Nia wished she could do just the same? When Nia prayed that every breath she was taking didn't hurt when something reminded her of her brokenhearted state?

_"I love you, Albus." _Somewhere behind the blondes' closed eyelids, Nia saw herself a year ago. Dressed in a beautiful summer gown, with bright eyes and red cheeks as she confessed to the boy she had dreamed about for so long what she actually felt. _"I'm in love with you…."_

There was a pause in her memory; the old Albus Potter gazing at her with confused eyes. An internal battle happening before her as he tried wrapping her confession around his head. _"I–-" _And without knowing how to respond, Al leapt towards Nia. Smacking his lips on hers for the very first time.

_"Do you remember that one phrase you confessed to me? At the Burrow?" _Another scene crossed her head, one that took place inside a corridor her Fifth Year. Her leg aching from the spell she had been attacked with as her heart thumped idiotically as Al looked seriously at her. The first time he had spoken to her since their first kiss.

_"I don't think I know what you are talking about….." _Nia saw herself turning red, the memory clear and vivid.

_"Always have to do everything the hard way."_ Albus had laughed, Nia's eyelids squeezing tighter as the echo of his laugh bounced in the walls of her head. _"I guess I need to remind you….."_ And they shared their second kiss; it was Heaven all over again for her.

_"I love you too, Nia Harper." _

Trying to hold tears in that burned her closed sockets, Nia remembered another moment. _"I love you, you know that right?"_ She heard herself murmur, her memory dressing her in a flowery skirt and her back-then boyfriend in Slytherin Quidditch gear.

_"Of course, Harper."_ He had replied carelessly; so indifferently. The day Nia remembers things started to go down the drain.

_"Really, Al?"_ Parting her lips as another rush of hurt started burning underneath her skin, Nia began reliving the worst memory of all . _"Half of the Slytherins already know? Half?"_

_"Nia-" _The day she had finally learned the truth of the betrayal.

_"You obviously can not see a thing...If you had...you would have seen me about to enter the Potions room as you exited it...You would have seen me follow you...You would have seen me trying to figure out what my boyfriend was doing as he practically sucked the face off his fellow Slytherin..."_

A few other words from the blonde came out, followed by Al's permanent silence. Her memory plays how quiet he stayed, how he watched her cry and he couldn't even move from his place. He watched her and never uttered a word. Giving up, with her heart tearing to pieces, Nia handed the murderer of her dreams a white envelope as her world crashed around her. _"I love you, Al. Happy Anniversary..."_

With her parted lips, Nia let out a soundless sob. A heart-wrenching expression upon her pale, beautiful face as she reopened her crystal-blue eyes and slammed a hand to her chest. Crying as the pain of the memories became too overwhelming and she couldn't control the tears anymore.

"If I could-"A low voice interrupted the whimpers Nia gave; distracting her as she turned her blurring gaze towards the opposite direction in which she laid. She lifted herself a fraction, trying to recoil as she recognized the emerald eyes staring at her with guilt, shame, and an agonizing ache. "I _would_ go back in time and change it all. I would stop myself from ever creating this..." A white finger moved slowly between the space that distanced the two in the balcony.

"W-What are you doing here?" Nia asked, pulling herself into a sitting position mirroring the one of the boy in front of her. "You're not a-allowed here."

"I know..."Al whispered in response, his back pressed tightly against the closed door of the room. "Liam let me in."

The blonde frowned. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough, Nia." Al replied, his tone still as low and cowardly.

"You better leave, Potter. It's graduation day for the Seventh Years and McGonagall is waiting to catch your brother and cousins in action. She's already been roaming Gryffindor Tower and I don't doubt she'll do it again." There was a pleading hint in Nia's voice, her eyes looking desperately at the Slytherin. "_Leave_."

Crossing his arms, Al shook his messy hair. "No, Nia."

"What do you want, Albus?" More of the pleading found its' way into the blondes' sentence. (Could he not see that she wanted to be alone? That he was the last person on earth she wanted around when she broke?)

Taking in a deep inhale, one where he made sure that all the air circled through his lungs and settled as he calmed his heart; deciding to go right in and take Evanna and Freddie's advice. "I'm sorry, Nia."Three seconds passed by thickly, and he continued. "I w-want you to know that I-I'm sorry...I'm truly sorry for _everything..._. I'm s-sorry for making you cry...I'm sorry for disappointing you...I'm sorry for h-hurting you...for betraying you...for never confessing _m-my_ mistakes...I'm sorry for every step I have taken this year, Nia..."

Nia's nostrils flared, but not in anger. The pressure of crying ran all the way from the tip of her nose to her toes, not being able to sustain the dry-eyes as the Slytherin shed tears of his own. His bottom lip trembling and his sobs lower and thicker than hers as his hands shook and he rocked a bit in his seat. "I l-loved you, Al...I loved you so much and you b-broke my heart..."She cried, her palm finding its' way to her mouth.

"I _k-know_..." The boy cried along with her.

"So you've made a lot of mistakes and have a cauldron full of regrets-"Nia continued, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "But that w-won't overshadow how I feel, will it, Al?"

The wizard shook his head, tears still pouring.

"...Then?"

"I _love_ you, Nia." Albus peered up, his heart aching as he felt unworthy to do so. "I always h-have...even when...I never forgot it, okay?...It's bloody hard to d-deal with my pain, as well, Nia. To waking up every ruddy day since I l-lost you and not feel like _dying_ b-because I d-don't have you...But I do it; I force myself. I smile, I live, I breathe, but barely...I w-would do it all over again, Nia...I wouldn't hurt you this time..."

_"Albus has not been himself lately...I can tell, you know? I am his mother after all-"_ She closed her eyes for a second, recalling those words spoken by Mrs. Potter as she let his words sink in. "_And, Louis really doesn't know the meaning of whispering. I heard him go on about the subject with his girlfriend yesterday...She had asked why you went looking for my son if...If I can be frank, Nia, I wouldn't be able to see why you cared so much to be there for Al but I've known you since you were eleven...I've seen you develop, I've gotten to watch you grow and show yourself to those around you...And I'm not surprised that you went looking for him immediately, despise of what he did."_

_ "I can't forgive him, you are aware of that, right, Mrs. Potter? It's like he doesn't exist."_

Nia reopened her eyes, her teardrops touching her cheeks lightly as she contemplated her memory and Albus's words-she had lied.

She had sworn to herself that he was never going to matter again. That Al would never cause another tingle in her heart, another wave of affection in her chest, another tug of ecstasy to cross her blood; _but she had lied_.

"I won't ever forget this, Albus Severus-" She murmured, crawling herself towards the door of the room; to reach the broken-looking boy in front of her. "I won't _ever_ forget w-what you did to me...but I forgive you."

Al glanced at her, his emerald eyes unbelieving. "Is that all I can ask for?" He question, hope invading his system.

"We can start all over." She said, stretching her hand towards him. Her tears long forgotten and that uncontrollable pain as the sun began to shine brighter. Like the heat of its' rays was actually warming her skin for the very first time in months. "Hello, I'm Nia Harper."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, the knot in his chest slowly releasing its' claim, Al took the blondes' hand. Giving it a few seconds to reconnect with her warmth, with the softness of her skin. "I'm Albus. Albus Potter."

The two smiled; a beam so profound that one could assume that together they held their own united extraordinary light.

Because Nia had in fact lied-she would always be in love with Al.

Because love _always_ finds its' way back; even in the broken road of betrayal and hurt.

* * *

**AN: Pheeeeeewwwww.**

**By far the LONGEST chapter in this sequel! Wtf? Lol. Well, there you go. Al and Nia fixed things. Now have they re-started their relationship are sticking to friends? You tell me and I'll write it in the next chapter! Lol. (Nah, kidding. I know what I'm doing with the but I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.) **

**Okay, so a lot of you ARE going to HATE me but...!**

**xD**

**Okay, what ^^^ said, was that I messed up on the count of remaining chapters to this sory and it turns out that the next chapter is the last one...DON'T MURDER ME!**

**You know you love me!**

**xoxo.  
**


	40. Entertainment and Forever

**Scorpius's POV**

There was a sense of excitement ticking in the air as the sun glowed brilliantly over the hill; one that announced and pronounced throughout the castle of Hogwarts. Every student, with the exception with a few who were saddened by this event, grinned with anticipation as the morning announcement was still in their minds. They laughed with more ease, chatted with more freedom, and walked with more swagger.

It was the last day in the castle; tomorrow the Hogwarts Express would be waiting for them by the exit of the carriages bright and early. Steaming to take them back to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and to their summer holidays; back to their families. Filling the compartments once more until another three months later-well, for those who were coming back-for another year to commence and new adventures and drama to occur.

But in the mean time, the enthusiasm was thicker than a Polyjuice Potion.

"Can you believe it, mate? We're officially _Seventh_ Years-"Lucas Zabini grinned, his back pressed to the bark of an elder tree; his eager emerald eyes flashing with glee as I rolled my own and directed them over to the perfect view of the Black Lake for a brief second. Looking at the people gathered there and their carefree smiles on their faces. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Don't worry, mate, none of us can believe you made it either."

"Prat." Lucas hissed. "I did fairly well this year, even better than you, remember?"

"Yeah, but you used to be the brightest Slytherin, Zabini, _remember_?" I said, enjoying the momentary fade of his annoying bubbly-personality on his dark face. "You used to have the number one rank for our house, even slightly beating Rose for hers in Gryffindor. What happened?"

"_Nothing_...happened." Zabini said, clearing his throat as he adjusted his grey button-up shirt that a certain redhead helped him pick out. (Well, more like she bought it for him and demanded he'd wear it.) "Just got tired of being the prodigal son, you know?"

I laughed as he shrugged at his own statement. "It's been said that if you don't know how to handle a Weasley girl then you are doomed-"I began with a serious tone and mocking gaze as he frowned. "If you don't manage to keep your head focused and thoughts trained then you will eventually lose your self will." He frowned even further and I laughed even more. "In case your slow mind didn't comprehend, Lucas, you've been dumb downed by Roxanne Weasley and you never noticed."

"I have not been 'dumb downed', Malfoy." He snapped, his expression still as mad as before. "And I've kept my self will, thank you very much."

"-Oh, sweetie, _look_!"Interrupting me before I got the chance to throw my counter-argument, Roxanne Weasley came running back from the edge of the Black Lake with a large group behind her. "It's fresh and bug-free, I swear it." She giggled, throwing a crown onto Zabini's dark hair. An ornament made of glowing white flowers all tied together by their stems and joined in a circle. "I used to make these when I was small; Freddie loved them."

Zabini's incredulous, wide eyes moved towards me; looking degraded and confused as his girlfriend adjusted the flowers tighter into his hair. (Poor bastard, never stood a chance.)

"Oh, quite a lot, actually." And speaking of the redheaded devil, Freddie Weasley appeared up the hill, arm draped over a brunette's shoulder that smirked along with him. "I'm incredibly jealous at this moment, Luke. You really don't know how badly I miss having my crown of flowers and my fairy essence."

"It's a shame, really, but you look quite beautiful in it, Zabini." James added, arriving with my best friend, Emily Taylor; both of them smiling at the dark-skinned Slytherin. One more mocking than the other. "It brings out the color in your eyes."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, just take it _off_!" Hugo snapped, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he lowered himself on the grass; making room for Lily and Liam as they appeared a few moments after the rest of the lot. Both of them looking flushed and googly-eyed as their attention was half-in the current entertainment. "You look like a damn idiot, Zabini."

"_Hugo_!" Roxanne glared, her angry stare bouncing around from person to person as they all chortled at Hugo's comment.

"Ease up there, cousin-"Freddie chirped in, his mask of the mocker fading as he saw the unsettling expression on his sisters' face. "No need to rain-down on everyone else because your little mate, Andre Boot, found out about you snogging his older sister and you can't get out of your funk. But believe me, I totally sympathize with you, mate, it's must be hard not snogging someone after all this time. "

"-Which you have earned _major_ wicked points with us for that, Hugo." Louis added, smirking with James as he nodded in agreement. "True Weasley at heart, our cousin."

"Hear! Hear!" James sniggered and he received an unexpected smack behind the head by his girlfriend, muttering an 'idiot' as she retracted her hand.

"He wouldn't have found out at all if it hadn't been for you two!" My future brother-in-law hissed ignoring his other two cousins; pointing an excusing finger at Freddie and the brunette next to him. "If you would have just admitted to the entire Ravenclaw house that you and Nott were together then I could have enjoyed my snogging-sessions peacefully, but _no_! You had to shout to them that I violated our common room with Olivia!" (Well. How selfish is that?)

"We're not together!" Evanna yelled at her house-mate, her expression growing tired and irritated as she repeated that line for the millionth time. "And, it wasn't _that_ bad, Weasley...He didn't even punch you hard and you even made him cry when he did."

Roxanne nodded slowly. "He did cry a bit, Hugo, it was rather embarrassing... and I've seen Uncle Ron drunk when he starts sobbing over his Rosie-Posie and 'that boy'."

"He broke my nose!"Hugo stared aghast at the Ravenclaw witch, sending daggers at her and Freddie, who just scratched his head in an awkward stance as I glared at Roxy. "_Twice_!"

"...He helped you fix it the next day."Freddie mumbled, looking slightly guilty.

"And then Boot punched him again." Lily spoke up, finally able to tear her smitten-gaze off of my cousins' face. "If it hadn't been for the fact that Professor Alan threatened to fail him in his O.W.L's if he didn't continue disrupting his lesson, Hugo would still have his nose popping out in several places and Aunt Hermione would have petrified you, Fred."

"Bless Ravenclaws and their love of academics-"I grinned, still as amused with the drama the Weasley's bring upon themselves even after all this time. (It was better than watching the tele on a boring day at the Burrow.) "No wonder Weasley managed to graduate his Seventh Year, Nott, you must have really improved his studying ability."

"Piss off, Malfoy." Evanna replied nastily, leaning in tighter to her non-boyfriends' arm; proving my point

Flipping her the finger and sending a crude gesture I have seen Louis Weasley do quite a lot, I turned my head to new coming footsteps. A sound so loud that it gave out the impression that a stampede of giants was on their way here. "Al-"

"_Help_!" A dark-haired wizard, with an expression completely bewildered and petrified, cried as he leaped over a bench a foot away from where we were all gathered. He ran faster and with his wand over his head; waving it like a mad-man. "Help me!"

"_Protego_..."Emily whispered, unsure of why but she was the first to react as the rest of us looked at Albus Potter with a puzzled look in our eyes.

"What's going on?"Coral asked, raising her eyebrow as Emily kept her wand pointed at Potter as he breathed heavily, finally stomping in front of us as a powerful clear-bubble surrounded him. "A Devil Snare branch found its' way into your pocket?"

"Oi!" James hissed, catching on to the teasing Louis's girlfriend just threw at him. " That happened ages ago! And I was not scared, alright?"

"Sorry, mate, but you were." Louis roared with laughter, throwing an arm around his girlfriend; pressing a kiss on the side of her head as she giggled at James's face. "You ran faster than Draco Malfoy when Aunt Hermione waves her fist at him."

I glared harder~what the hell is up with the 'Malfoy' references?

"-Nevermind that!"Al heaved, clutching to his chest as the red in his face became more prominent. "I've been chased all the way from the library, you gits, fearing for my life!"

"Why, exactly?" I asked, barely interested.

"Nia's trying to murder me!" He shouted, still looking beat. I chuckled at my best friend, shaking my blonde hair and clucking my tongue in a disapproving way. "It's not funny, Malfoy, Rose is in on it too! Not to mention Alice Longbottom and Lysander Thomas!"

"What did you _do_, Albus?" Lily asked, her facial expression more serious and blush-free as Liam played with her red strands.

"Nothing-"

"Albus Severus Potter!"

"_Save me_." Potter squeaked, throwing his arms over his head to protect that unruly mane that his father inherited him; shutting his eyes tight as the bubble became more prominent and three girls arrived at the scene. The blonde girl holding a redhead tightly as her eyes shone puffy and red and the other fiery witch frowned with all her beautiful might.

(Oh, how I fancied when Rose got sparked up.)

"I knew you'd come down here and hide behind Emily's skirt!" Rose hissed, her hands finding themselves to her hips as she gave the light appearance of her grandmum when she got angry. (Definitely not a side I can say I like; especially if I'm the one she's frowning at. But since I'm not... ) "You're lucky she has a good heart, Al, because Lily and Roxy would have attacked you just like I'm about to."

"It was an accident!" Potter said, his eyes still closed and his arms over his head. "I swear it on Merlin!"

Sighing, Lily picked herself off the grass and walked towards the three witches. "What did my idiotic brother do, Luce?" She asked in a soft voice, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder and reeling her away from Nia Harper.

"He shot a curse at her, that's what he did." Nia responded for Lucy, sighing as well as she headed towards the bloke in the bubble. "Poor Potter, just when I was beginning to forgive him."

"Oi..."Al muttered, opening his eyes as the blonde gave him a leer. "You said you already had."

"I know." Nia laughed, patting the force-field around my fellow Slytherin. "Just a bit more of guilt for what you did to Lucy~Well, what? You shouldn't have cursed her." She added when Al scowled at her.

"I didn't send a curse at _her_! I sent one at Lorcan Thomas and his pesky fingers running all over my cousin!"

"_What_?"

And, ah yes, the Weasley-men jealousy rage.

(Enter the _dun, dun, dun_ here.)

"And groping her like they weren't in a library and I wasn't trying to enjoy reading a book with Nia!" Nodding like an idiot, Potter added more to the fire burning in his relatives eyes. "He looked like a bloody octopus, his hands were _everywhere_."

"Lucy!" Louis gasped, slapping Coral's hand away as she attempted to keep him on his seat. "H-How could...In the library...with Al watching...with _Thomas_?"

(Told you. Better than a Arthur Weasley's television set.)

"Way to go, Lucy!" Lily laughed, patting her cousins' back instead of soothing it.

"Yeah, Luce, you have earned _major_ wicked points with us for that." Roxanne repeated teasingly, sending Louis and her brother a sneer.

"So, in all of this, what happened to Lorcan?" I asked, feeling my heart pick up a rate as Rose popped Emily's spell off of Al and the bloke landed on the floor with a _thud_; still covering his head for desperate protection as she walked over to me.

"He's spewing out slugs over at the Hospital Wing-" She exhaled ,taking my hand as I extended it out for her. "With a pigs' tail and boils covering his face _after_ being attacked by the Bat-Bogey Hex." She included after James said 'That's not so bad' and she sat on my lap.

I snuggled her closer to me, uninterested about Lorcan Thomas's condition now as she was now in my radar. "Sucks to be him." I said for show.

_ What_?

It's rather hard to concentrate when my own personal redhead among the fiery-heads of the group; one with a powerful hazel gaze and the noblest expression on her slightly freckly pale face gave me the pleasure of holding her so close.

"So, how come you don't have an opinion about Lucy and Lorcan, James?" Lily interrupted my focused fascination on my thumbs circling Rose's thighs; intruding with her angry tone as I pleased myself on feeling her silky skin. "You always seemed to have a comment about all of our love-lives and all of a sudden you're silent about Lucy's? Does Lorcan tickle your pickle?"

"First of all, Lils, piss off-"James growled as Liam gripped Lily to him as soon as she joined his side again; both of them looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "Secondly...Well, let's just say I've had a bit of a change of heart."

"Why?" The lot chorused, my entranced pleasure coming back up as I started tracing patterns on Rose's skin and I squeezed my arms around her waist, dug my chin into her shoulder, and felt my heart warm at the sniff of her flowery aroma.

James shrugged. "Just because..." I watched as his actions mirrored mine, and Emily was suddenly three inches tightly pressed to him. "I just figured that, well, everyone does what they have to, don't they? I don't like it one bit, mind you, but...stuff happens."

My fingers stopped caressing my girlfriends' skin as Emily turned a light shade of pink and James blushed from his own words.

There was a sickening way of how the two interacted, like if by some reason they were pulled together even more. Like their love bonded them stronger than ever before. And the way they leaned more into each other and how they gravitated closer to each other's side if one of them moved; even how he was calmer and Emily breathed exactly when he did.

They were in sync_~too_ in sync.

"-For Merlin's soggy biscuit!"I pulled my chin off of Rose's shoulder, and pushed it further into the open space in front of her. My disbelief increasing by every millisecond as everyone became startled by my outburst. "Em tell me you didn't! How...why...Oh, bloody hell!"

"Scorpius, what is it?" Rose asked, furrowing her brows together as the two sickos in front of me turned redder.

"Them...her...him...my Emily...like my sister..."I babbled as they looked guilty. "He poked his wand in Emily!"

"...No..."Nia, Lily, Evanna, and Coral mouthed.

"Get out of here! No way!" Freddie shook his red hair. "Never!"

"He wouldn't have!"

"Great, another one." Hugo muttered bitterly after Louis. "James finally gets some and I get my nose broken in."

"...Em?"Rose called, her voice sounding just as in disbelief as mine had been.

"He didn't necessarily _poke_ it in..."Emily replied with a flushed whisper, patting James's head as he lowered it in deeper embarrassment as his cousins transitioned into gasping,whistling and hooting. "It sort of slid in..."

"-Okay! That's it." I shivered in disgust, tapping Rose lightly on her side; signaling to her to allow me to get up. "Too much information that will forever be burned in my head..."I grimaced once more and pulled my hand out to my girlfriend. "Come, Rose. I've got something to tell you and I don't want my cheerful mood to completely go to hell with this unholy confession."

"Scorp-"

"Please refrain yourself from speaking to me, Emily." I interjected before the American could say anything else. "At least...not until I've had my fair share of Fire-Whiskey and the summer holidays are over."

"-Oi, Malfoy, hold it." Louis snapped, pointing his wand at me and making my legs wiggle and begin to lose their strength just before I could turn on my heels with my girlfriend by my side. "Listen you drama queen, with all these manky gits violating girls around here I think it's better if you talk to Rosie _here_. We don't want you accidentally slithering your wand in."

I glared as my legs became more wobbly and Rose clutched tighter on to me. "Louis! Stop it, you thickhead!"

"But he's much cuter when his legs are jelly-jinxed!" The blonde Weasley pouted, an aura of superiority on his fairy-like face as I wobbled like a fool. (Bastard.)

"_Louis_-"And as soon as Rose let the dangerous venom she had stored inside, past her kind and light angry self, my legs felt like the bones within them actually existed. "Come on, Scorpius, let us violate the Potions classroom."

"No, no. It's fine, Rose." I said, carefully standing myself straight after Al threw me a sympathetic gaze and Nia chuckled along with Louis. "If your cousin so keenly wants me to talk to you here, than I shall. How can I, after all, deny a veela's request? I think there's a penalty if you defy a nymph."

The blood in my veins began to boil as Louis scowled, but not because of anger. But because of a great rush of emotions that started making my heart beat faster than its' normal pace, causing a feel of hyperventilation to press into my lungs and make my head spin.

"Rose-"I whispered, my tone lowering itself into a thin murmur. "All along we've talked about us one day being husband and wife...We have always known that we will be together forever...a-and when everything with...everything that happened with us, that almost took you away from me, I knew then more than ever that I _needed_ you with me. Always..."

Her eyes sparkled with tears as I clutched onto one of her hands; lowering myself onto the ground as my free palm scavenged in my left pocket. "You're the reason why I do anything, Rose...I know that might not be normal, and it sounds rather pathetic, but you're my only reason for every step I take...If I can't make you happy then I don't feel it...If I can't hold you then my day has gone to the dogs...You're just my _entire_ happiness...my heaven...And I promised you that one day I would make you mine forever..."

I swallowed my knot of nerves, and pulled a cold object from my pocket. Lifting it up to her as it began to weigh heavier in my fingers as the rays of the sun made it gleam. Making the swirls of cool silver shine and reflect a light as they joined together to hold a flower-cut diamond in its' place.

"Scorpius..."

"I told you I would one day get down on one knee, Rose Weasley..."I muttered, watching with a spark of joy as her bright brown eyes began to glisten and a shadow of a smile tugged on her lips. "Marry me?"

With a shaking hand, Rose reached into the v-neck of her shirt and pulled out the rose-necklace I had given her time ago. She held it tightly as she began to cry small tears and they tainted their way down on her beautiful rosy cheeks. "Isn't it proven already...that we _both_ can't live without each other?" She asked with a sniff and a laugh mixed together. "I love you."

And that was her cue-my shaking hand directed the ring onto her finger. Peering up at her with adoring eyes as it still sparkled as its' owner claimed it and it took its' rightful place.

"Wait. Wait-"Louis raised his wand in the air again, ruining the silent gazing between my Rose and I. "_What_?"

"Rose..."Hugo breathed, his eyes wide as he looked down on the ring; looking quite in shock. (A perfect future insight to their fathers' reaction, I presume.) "...What in our mummy's name?"

"That was beautiful." Emily said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Cheers, Malfoy, for a beautiful speech." Coral grinned, giving me a thumbs up.

"Who knew you had such smooth ways, prat?" Evanna chirped in, smiling softly at me and Rose.

"Sure, make the rest of us look even worse, Malfoy..." Al grunted, looking aggravated as Nia stared in awe at Rose.

"Liam..."

"One day, Lily, one day." My cousin replied to his girlfriend, pressing a kiss onto her pouting mouth; making her blush.

"Lucas?"

"I'll get on it." Zabini sighed, sending a glare at me as he readjusted his crown of flowers. (I told him; he's been sucked into the Weasley charm and now he was going to spend the summer trying to propose to George Weasley's daughter.)

"Shall I curse him now or give it a few minutes?" Freddie asked.

Rolling her eyes, Rose pulled on my hand; our noses touching as soon as my feet planted themselves on the grass. "I love you so much, Scorpius."

"I love you more." I grinned, leaning my lips with hers; moving them with the most caressing of graces. The first kiss between my fiancee and I.

_ Thud_!

"-_Ufff_."

"Louis!" Rose hissed, my body colliding with the grass and a body landing on me as arms started flying everywhere and my lips lift the personal haven that were Rose's.

"What? I'm right here!"

Laughing as I closed my eyes when Zabini and Al attempted to pull off a redhead off of me, I couldn't help but feel like everything was much more complete now. That things had taken their twists and turns, making all of us suffer and cry just to lead us in our rightful place. Letting us learn our lesson and figure out what kept us sane and what could tear us apart.

"Can I call you brother now?" I asked with thick amusement as Hugo kicked Zabini in the family jewels-making him groan in pain and recoil into a ball on the grass-and his fist started colliding with my ribs again.

Yep, I'm completely right. We were all meant to be lead right back here; together in each others lives. From the start we had been brought by fate to be a part of each others stories that will never get old, and with time will increase in mental levels and cause a new wave of lessons to be learned. Always taking us back to one another and letting the fact be proven time and time again; we were all together forever. For better or worse; as lovers, friends and family.

Until the very end.

~The End~

* * *

**AN/ ...Oh, hey! This is were you "AW"...**

**Great, now that we've gotten that out of the way, AWWWWWW! **

**Oh, come on! You KNOW you wanted Scorpius and Rose fluff and I gave it to you! How much do you love me right now? Lol. What's that? Not that much? Pffft. Figures. I said I was sorry about the mix-up of chapters! Give a girl a break; I was tired from work!**

**...Not good enough excuse? Yes, you're right. Lol.**

**And this is why I have a little, tiny, minute, smidge, small, weenie surprise for all of you.**

**Ready? Okay!**

**So, I have decided to break the epilogue ( Oh, yes there WILL be one) up into 5 parts. PLUS I have decided to add a few chapters of hidden moments that you never got to read and a few stories of characters you never got to hear much about. AND...you'll guys like this...I hope...Anyway, I'm thinking about a small trilogy. A story after this one, what do you think? :D**

**Alright, well this is where I thank all of you: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! For everything and all the amazing support and reviews! And I ask for advice or suggestions for the maybe-upcoming story. (Take in mind that I really don't wanna write another story set in Hogwarts for them.)**

**Tell the upcoming epilogue part 1...**

**Becks :) xoxo  
**

**Ready?  
**


	41. Epilogue Part 1: The Lifeline

**Epilogue Part One: Emily's POV**

"Ah, one. Ah, two. Ah, three. Ah, one, two, three!" A loud voice chorused excitedly, making the sound of their voice bounce off of the walls with an overpowering echo that was most likely heard from the outside fencing of the home as well from the inside. The sound leaping from every corner of the garden with great amusement.

" Weasley is our is our king- - -" A chiming voice began with a high-pitch note, its' beautiful tone clashing with the mocking chuckles and mumbles of curse words circling the fresh air. "He always lets the Quaffle in, Weasley is our king!"

"_Louder_!"

"Weasley was born in a bin; he always lets the Quaffle in!Weasley will make sure we win! Weasley is our king!"

"Ah, one more time- - -"

"- - -No more times!" I breathed heavily, shaking my head from the doorframe of where I was leaning on; staring at the people in the vivid garden laugh and others scowl at the song being sang. (Especially a Mister Ronald Weasley; if for the pause of the game that had been taking place or because Mister Malfoy and Mister Zabini were chuckling _too_ loudly, I wouldn't know. But there needed to be a stop before old feuds came back to life.) "James, you're going to cause Louis to explode from all the curse words he is keeping in." I pointed a finger towards the blonde man silently seating in the air; his broomstick kept rigid as his usual pale face glowed red as Freddie, Stefan Arthur, and Liam all circled their brooms behind him. "And they won't be able to contain him this time."

"Well, he shouldn't have let the Quaffle in!" James blurted, sneering like a mad-man as he waved at his cousin; earning a few noises of agreement from other relatives. (A much more eager voiced agreement from Louis's fiancee, Coral McLaggen.) "I _told_ him to keep on with Wizards Chest. At least it's something he is good at and won't make a mockery out of my mummy's maiden name with such lack of talent."

"James..."I warned, looking up as Louis's left blonde eyebrow began twitching with every word his cousin said.

"Come on, sweetie, once more. Loud and clear!"

"Weasley is our king- - -"

"_Impedimenta_!" Right before Louis, who so sneakily grabbed a beaters bat from Freddie, could chuck a bludger at James's head, a bespectacled man stood from his seat from a large garden table in the middle of his backyard. "James- -"

"I know, I know." James sighed, rolling his eyes as his father as he glared roughly at him. " 'Stop teasing your cousin.' Yeah, yeah. Got it." He mumbled resentfully.

"And _you_, darling?" Mister Potter turned his bright eyes to the little girl standing on a chair and looking at the situation with a mocking gaze as she removed it from the sky towards the bespectacled man. "What do you have to say?"

Taking a moment to respond, after a few muffled words that made me frown, the dark-haired - - almost four year-old in five months - - girl sighed. "I'm not to help daddy with his childish behavior."

"That's right, sweetie. There's only room for one child in your family and James already won that title _ages_ ago - -" A voice came from behind me, making me turn as I was met with silvery eyes.

"Uncle Scorpius!"The angelic-like voice that had participated in James's mockery of Louis, exclaimed loudly as she found it safe to squeal with daylight. (As soon as the frown on Harry Potter's face was put away, of course.) "Aunt Rosie!"

"About ruddy time, mate- -" Albus Potter, looking greatly irritated , pushed by the newcomers from inside his parents home and into the annual Saturday Quidditch match among his family; holding a tray of fresh Butterbeer as he ignored his redheaded cousin as she went to take a hold of the girl who had greeted them. "I've been outnumbered; no bloody Slytherins!"

"Where's Zabini?" Scorpius asked, leaning down and pressing a kiss on my cheek in greeting.

"Ditched me." Al snorted, handing his Uncle Percy a goblet and pointing a finger to a tall dark-skinned bloke a few yards away under a tall tree with a redheaded woman laying on his chest. "Apparently Roxy's more important." He scoffed.

"- -How're you?" My best friend asked after rolling his eyes and ignoring Al as he continued to hand goblets to his family members. (Not missing the moment after Albus stopped playing waiter and took his original seat by his blonde girlfriend, Nia Harper.)

"Is there a need to ask that every time you see me, Scor?" A gave him a cheeky grin.

"Old habit." He shrugged, throwing his palm on my black hair and ruffling it. "I found out the news; Rose told me. Congratulations." He smiled widely, and nudging me with his arm with a smug look in his gray eyes as I frowned.

"_Spider_!"A loud pitched scream was heard, and before I could even mutter a 'thanks' to Scorpius Malfoy, I turned to watch Ron hop onto his chair; turning blue from his sudden fright.

"Is it on me? Is it on me?" Jumping away from Rose's arms, the little girl leaped towards her grandfather; holding tightly onto him as she squealed, thin arms around his neck as she shrieked along with her great Uncle. "Kill it, grandpa, kill it!"

"I got it! I got it!" Rose inquired, walking towards her dad and patting his back ."It's alright. It's gone, dad."

"Bliss, sweetie, relax. Your Aunt Rose took care of it." Mister Potter said; a look of simple delight and amusement crossed his expression; a look that only the little girl caused in him.

My girl. My daughter; Ginerva Bliss Potter.

"That's a good girl, Bliss, be strong!"Scorpius laughed, patting my arm and proceeding to walk out towards the garden and join his fiancee. " It's expected, of course, you're getting bigger everyday, my Bliss."

"I'm eating my vegetables like Grandpa said- - - " Bliss replied, smiling widely with triumph as her grandfather chuckled and made his way to his father-in-law, Arthur Weasley, who called for his great-grandchild. Extending out a hand and placing it on her head; giving her the same look of pure love as Mister Potter had. "Five times a day!" She added, stretching out a skinny arm and flexing it. (Oh, I wonder where she gets her little humor from?)

Sneering even more, James stared up at his cousin, the game still halted as their argument never ceased when Liam threw Louis the Quaffle to start the game, but ended up missing it and making it land on Hugo's head. "Look at that, mate! My Bliss is more muscular than you!"

" Piss off, Potter, you great sodding idiot!"

"_Louis_!"

Laughing lightly to myself, I stared at the scene before me with unwilling watering eyes- - -It had been four years since I lost my mind and attempted to end my life; trying to find an escape from the nightmares and the voices that never chose to leave me alone.

It was an act of desperation, of need, of _love_.

I wanted to be alright, I remember. I tried my damn hardest to get rid of those sickening images that would never leave my head, that would appear every moment at night when I closed my eyes. I had been haunted, tormented by death and guilt, for years. Nothing ever left me alone, not even the peace and happiness that crawled into my life. It came in a form of blinding light, piercing its' way magically and unbreakable into the thick wall of brick I had placed between my memories and reality.

It came as the form of James Sirius Potter; my savior.

It was because of him and that strong emotion that took over my heart that I wanted to end my existence. Sure, it sounds selfish and incomprehensible, but _I_ understand it clearly- - I wanted him to have someone by his side that was sane and not an inch from creating havoc every time she cared too much.

I had murdered my parents- - _So, I thought_.

I had come from a well-respected family from New York; a family who masked their true faces and the events going on in their home-life for image, for respect. For the mere fear that someone would one day know that Nick Sr. and Amelia Taylor, Purebloods, had produced a Squib as their firstborn, their intended heir.

I can't recall if before that, before my brother was old enough to supposedly start showing magical abilities, if we ever lived a happy life. If my parents ever got along, loved each other and their kids. They're weak assumptions because I never had a glimpse of that, only of shouts, screams, threats, tears, neglect, and a car bursting into metallic shreds and flames.

Then, living with the mental-abuse from my former guardian, my brother, that I murdered my parents for not being able to control my 'sickening and ill-fated gift', I landed in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was an amazing, overwhelming experience- - with all the friends I met and all- - until I met a certain Slytherin named Lance Greyback.

I knew I wasn't in love, just that his life was just as equally messed up as mine. That he understood how gross I felt, how tainted and impure. So of course, with the luck that I had been given, I became the object of affection to a werewolf and got myself attacked and used as a chew-toy. Not after sprinkling my life with corruption and leaving me to live a life with fear and an even more fragile mind.

I had been pregnant by my corrupter and then ripped away from the title of soon-to-be mother by the very same person; leaving another death in my conscience. Making me believe that I could have stopped it, that I could have saved the unwanted seed planted in my womb, but didn't. Making me believe that I deserved the word 'Murder' tattooed on my forehead like the dark mark on former Death Eaters.

It was because of _all_ of that that I felt unworthy, making me decided to put a stop to my heartbeat. It was out of the desperate pure love that I felt for James that I needed to get away from him; because he couldn't live his life protecting a witch who was beyond repair. A girl who didn't know the meaning of 'letting go', who didn't know peace of mind, and who most certainly never knew how to have a peaceful sleep.

And so I did it, I killed myself- - but something deep within me didn't let go completely. Something deep inside me left me a centimeter from death waiting to find that light that had broken through everything else, contemplating the idea that it would come to my aid. That if I waited just enough time, I would be saved.

And I was.

"- - Thinking again, darling?"

My eyes fluttered for a few seconds, blinking wildly as I noticed that I was plastered on a stool that sat casually in the middle of a simple table-top. Squinting from the light coming out from a hanging lamp from the kitchen ceiling. I gave a small smile to the bright eyes staring back at me. "I just got a bit overwhelmed by everyone outside, Ginny."

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes, alike James's. "You've been with us for how long, Emily?" She laughed, walking to the table-top and lowering a table-cutter packed with chopped fruit and a thick knife sticking out from a ripe pineapple. "And you are still shocked by the magnitude of our family?" She gave another giggle, and continued cutting the fruit. "Surely, you lot wouldn't keep adding to our mass numbers, if _that_ was the case."

I blushed. "I guess I didn't help with the contribution Dominique, Victoire, and Evanna made, huh?"

She laughed at that too. "It's satisfying to the heart, Emily, to know that we got a chance to spread and extend our legacy. There was once a chance that Harry would be the only and last Potter in the Wizardying World, but look, you granted an extension to the one he had so miraculously made."

"I bet you wish she would have been a bit more calm- -" I laughed as well, giggling as she rolled her eyes. "I know you had enough, and still suffer, from the things James makes you go through, that having Bliss be exactly the same must be torture."

"Not really." Mrs. Potter grinned, pushing back her inflamed hair as it loosened itself around the sides. "I love my granddaughters, because Glorie is a feather away from being the exact energetic mess Teddy is, but the good thing is I can always send them home. As for Teddy and James, well, Merlin knows I had to keep myself from throwing them into a lake when they kept bursting things on fire."

"You know, Mrs. Potter, that James named Bliss, right?" Before the statement could settle completely in her head, the redheaded woman rolled her eyes at my calling her 'Mrs.' again. Even after I've known her for thirteen years, got into a relationship with her oldest biological son, pleaded with me to call her by her first name, took over my guardianship, and gave her a granddaughter.

My mother-in-law slowed her chopping; her eyebrows moving to furrow together at my comment.

"He might be the complete cause of your turmoil, Ginny, but he loves you like nobody else. He holds you in this enormous pedestal that he refuses you to see and anyone else to shatter because you are the rock he needs, that he has _always_ needed. He'd never willingly admit that he is, in a way, a mommy's boy, but he is."

Her freckly face soften in certain edges, the strength that was always held in her age-lines looked as if they were about to crumble.

"When Mister Potter was in the hospital, after they had given no chance of survival from his 'exhausted' system, James cried for hours, Mrs. Potter. _Hours_. For his dad, for his siblings, for Teddy's obvious guilt, for himself, for the family, but especially for you. He didn't know how you were managing to stay so strong, but he knew that it was a bigger internal battle than anyone could imagine..."I paused, a glint burning in my eyes. "You remember what happened during Bliss's birth, right, Ginny?"

"Of course..."She muttered, the fruit long forgotten as she threw the knife indifferently and silently on the surface of the table. "The umbilical chord was wrapped around her neck...The Healers weren't sure if..."

"If she'd make it." I finished for her, the same pain of memory rushing over me as it did for my mother-in-law. "But she held on; my Bliss held on to the bit of oxygen that she had left, even when the Healers were assuming the worst, and made it. She graced my life with the perfect addition to my new marriage and giving the happy life I had been living after my suicide attempt, a much more colorful sensation.

She came strong and fighting into the world. She came to us with the blood of a fighter running in her veins, looking as determined to show the world wrong; holding that same gaze on her face as you did when you thought Mister Potter was fading from his life. And that is why, why James named her after you. He didn't want a middle name, he wanted her to _be_ called Ginerva. Because our daughter wasn't going to be a rememberence to you, but because she was going to show the world that she was _as_ strong as you are."

As the words were being spoken, neither Mrs. Potter or I could contain the pressure growing behind our eyes, or the trembling of our bottom lips as we looked at each other. As she gave me that warm gaze that she had been giving me from the moment I took the torture curse for James my First Year, when I was attacked, and every time she attended my Healer Sessions to recover my sanity.

The look between mother and daughter- - even if not by blood.

"How could I even r-refuse? You gave me e-everything I have now, Mrs. Potter...you fought for me a-and if it wasn't for t-that I'd be locked in a mental institution forever because the world gave up h-hope in me...except for you and your son, the man I love with my e-entire being."

With a _bang, _the redheaded woman shoved the table-cutter further into the table, making it crash into a vase of Lilies, Mrs. Potter threw her arms around my shoulders. Hugging me tightly as we both sniffled at the emotional moment; ones that I always seem to tangle myself in.

"You can't be saying those words to me, Emily, I'm no longer as young as I used to be- -" She laughed with her tears blinding her eyes as she pulled away, keeping her palms on my shoulders as I wiped my own. "And despise what I have heard James or George say countless of times, I do have a heart. I love you just as if you were my own, Emily, and _I'm_ thankful for what you have given me..."

"- - No, Bliss, no!"

"_Mommy_!"

"Bliss, I said no!"

Both of us turning our heads to the entrance of the kitchen from the back door that led to the garden, Ginny Potter and I rose our eyebrows as that little dark-haired girl strutted her way into the room with her father right behind her.

"Mommy, daddy called Uncle Louis a fairy and Uncle Louis broke his nose!"

"- - Tattle-teller."James stuck his tongue out at Bliss, peeking it out from a space he made between his fingers as his palm held his nose.

Throwing him the Weasley-Women glare, Bliss placed her small hands on her hips and turned to us. "Grandpa says if you can't control daddy then he is not allowed back out."

"_James_." My mother-in-law groaned, shaking her red strands as I giggled at my daughters' strict tone. "You're twenty-one, when are you going to start acting your age for Merlin's sake?"

"When Louis stops crying to Aunt Fleur after I aim a Quaffle at his fairy-head!" James growled from behind his hand, letting only his brown eyes glare at his mother. "He should be happy that he at least blocked that one!"

"Well, since apparently you never learned how to behave and treat your family with respect, you are not allowed to play Quidditch anymore."

"But- - _that's not fair_!"James shouted, gaping at his mother as he picked our daughter up in her arms, grabbed the bowl of fresh fruit, and muttered '_Episkey_' with a flick of her wand to his nose; all in the same swift movement.

"Potter is our king, Potter is our king! He'll never win! Potter is our king, he ruins everything!"

"_Bliss_!" James gasped, sounding aghast as his daughter smirked at him after changing the words to the once-famous Weasley-theme. "This is your fault- -" He turned to me after his mother and Bliss walked out from the kitchen, laughing at his expression.

"My fault?" I snorted at him as he stood in front of me, hands on his hips like how Bliss had them previously.

"You let her spend all that time with Malfoy, she was bound to turn on me!" He hissed, his finger shaking at me. "Making him Godfather, _ha_!" He scoffed to himself. "I'll get him for turning a Potter against a Potter."

"Oh, you're just jealous- -"

"Jealous?" He scoffed even more. "I was _never_ jealous of little Scorpius Malfoy!" His handsome face turned red, making me suppress giggles as he looked like his easily agitated, old teenage self once again. "Never, never! Because you loved _me_ and Bliss is _my_ daughter and he can go ahead and stuff that into his goblet and suck it!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Because he'll only ever be the best friend, the godfather, the slimy git- - -"

I stood from my stool, bumping into him lightly as I stretched on my toes to press my lips onto his; silencing his rants completely.

I moved my lips so gently and caressing, my heart skipping a beat as James returned the same softness even though he was heated with anger a second ago. Our mouths moved together in the perfect language that only him and I know how to speak; that code that can only be used and translated by us. My entire heart was present in the kiss, including his, like always. It was the same passionate kiss that had been going on for years, but that never got old. One that was needed to express all those years that we played cat-and-mouse and that we left our feelings unattended. The same kiss that started the first time I was sane enough to give him my all, the same one he gave me when Bliss was born, and the one he gives me every night before I fade into my peaceful slumber; wrapped in his arms.

The kiss that would always be my lifeline- - from then, for now, and until the end.

"Bloody hell." He grunted after I pulled away, bumping each other again as I laughed and my entire body shook. "I love you too damn much, woman."

"I love you too, James." I grinned, as I slithered my hands down to my swollen stomach. Down to caress the kick I was getting from inside of me as my blood settled after it rushed from our lip-lock. "More than you'll ever know."

"- - Where're you going?" He asked as I stepped away from him and began to head towards the door.

"I'm going to watch the remainder of the Quidditch game, James." I turned my grin into a smirk.

"B-But..."

"Sorry." I shrugged, looking down at my pregnant stomach as I laughed at James's attempt of the puppy-face. "Come, Orion James Potter. We're about to enjoy a Quidditch match that you're bound to participate in a few months."

"Oi!" James snapped, looking surprised. "You can't be saying the name like that, Em! We promised we'd keep the gender of the baby a secret! Don't you know bloody discretion?"

"Didn't _you_ know it when you babbled it to Louis, who probably told Freddie, who told Evanna, who told Nia, who told Al, who told Lucas, who told Liam, who told Lily, who told Rose, who told Dominique and Scorpius?"

"First of all- -" James lifted a finger, raising his eyebrow at me. "_Breathe_. Secondly, who told you?"

"Bliss, of course."

"How in Merlin's disco-pants does _Bliss_ know?"

I shrugged. "Dustin told her."

"We've got to move away from these ruddy gossipers!" James announced, huffing to himself about not being to trust anyone. "Wait, wait! Don't go!" He begged, noticing my moving feet.

Blowing him a kiss, I waved. "Enjoy your punishment, husband of mine."

"Em!" He whined as I stepped out the back door. "What am I supposed to do? Clean the kitchen?"

_Clink._

The door shut, not close enough to hide my husbands' whines, as I smiled and I breathed in the fresh air; earning another energetic kick from my unborn baby boy as I took in the magnitude of people in the garden. Of family.

"Don't worry, my Orion, you'll be here soon enough."

"_Emily_!"

"Please don't be as crazy as your father- -" I begged with a smile and walked towards my grand family.

How I'm glad I survived, how I managed to earn such blessing, such bliss.

How I was given my redemption and deserving happiness; I am Mrs. Emily Potter and I was given a chance to live my happily ever after.

* * *

**AN: Whooooo! PART ONE!**

**Y-E-A-H! xD Lol. Okay, Okay. I got a little TOO excited. Lol. But I never thought I'd finish this chapter. But PHEW.**

**Anyway, we've got a few things to discuss. Numero One: Every part of the epilogue that I upload WILL take place at random futuristic times from where the actual story ended, okay? I know it might be confusing, but bear with me. It will all make sense from every chapter that I upload. Numbero Two: Is there any specific missing moment that you guys want to know that I should write about? And Numero Three: I LOVE LOVE you guys! xD (Oh, Im a softy.)**

**Reminder: For the bit of James talking about Scorpius, I hope you don't get confused on it. Remember that in the first story 'Leave Out All The Rest' James was EXTREMELY jealous about Emily and Scorpius's friendship; always thinking it was more than that.**

**So that's it for today, TATA for now! :)  
**


	42. Epilogue Part 2: Innocence

** Epilogue Part Two: Lily's POV**

"_Aw_!" Sounds of giggling witches and loud noises of affection filled the air and aroma of sea mist and freshness. Squeals mixing with the sounds of waves crashing in a rocky cliff that maintained the little cottage where the noises were coming from; at random times the chirping of birds would come in through the window and add another flavor of joy to the ongoing situation.

"That was so cute, Victoire!"

"- -Of course it is, I bought it!" Snapping my thoughts away from the far away place they were, I let a grin appear on my face. Letting it come off as a sneer as two of my cousins, Roxy and Lucy, rolled their eyes at me. "Alright, Roxy picked it out and Lucy wrapped it, but _still_! I bought it!"

Laughing, Victoire settled the bright tiny dress back into its' packaging. "Thanks a lot girls, but would it have been too much to buy me separate gifts, you cheap witches?"

"Oi, we barely had enough sickles to attempt to put this together!"Lucy protested, turning red at the ears as others in the living room of Shell Cottage chuckled at us. "We've been out on Easter holidays for two days, dad hasn't even budged on giving me any money for vacation yet!"

"That's because you disappeared with Lorcan Thomas the first day back!" Roxy offered, grinning as our cousin turn redder.

"Alright, alright- -"Cutting in, a fiery redhead pushed past some of the guest in her parents home; carrying a big box with pink wrappings on her right side and a two year-old redheaded boy, that resembled her right down from the hair to the eyes, on her lift hip. "Dustin bought this especially for you. He's quite the sentimental prat - isn't that right, love?"

"Hope you like it Aunt Vicky..."Dustin retorted, sounding uncharacteristically shy as he turned around and snuggled his face into his mothers' pale neck.

As Victoire teared the wrappings of the box presented to her excitedly, my eye caught sight of a tall, dark-haired witch cramped into a corner. Her beautiful face looking blank and her eyes looking lost somewhere galaxies away. A witch next to her, with a bump so vivid on her abdomen, nudged her with her pointy finger towards the blonde seated in the middle; bringing the beautiful witch and I back to the present.

"My, Dom- -" Victoire responded after a long while of scavenging through the tissue-paper that came inside the box for decorative and mocking purposes. "It's beautiful..." Glistening blue eyes looked up to meet the vibrant emerald, the clash of bright eyes among sisters. "I-I..."

My focus zeroed in on a silvery locket hanging from a long chain between Victoire's fingers. The charm was a good-sized heart, a locket that was opened into two and inside had a moving picture of two little girls; one with blonde hair that glowed in the sunlight and the other with hair so intense like flames. Both of the small witches laughing, wide smiles plastered on their once-infant faces as they waved their palms at whoever had taken the picture. A few French words scribbled in cursive writing on the front of the metallic heart. '_Les soeurs, à jamais_.'

"- -_Boo_!"Sitting on the armrest on the blonde veela's side, Molly removed the attention away from our Uncle Bill's daughters. Giving them some space to wipe their tears from their fairy faces. "Dominique, you insensitive witch! This is a _baby_-shower, the gifts were meant for the baby! Not for you to have some bizarre sentimental moment with Vic!"

"O', 'Oney!" Appearing behind another redhead, this time not a cousin but my mother, an older version of Victoire Lupin came over to the scene to throw her arms around her youngest daughter. "I told your father you did care! 'Ow you warm zee heart in my chest!"

"Mum, mum! Stop!" Dominique grunted, rolling her eyes as her son began trying to pull himself away from the tight embrace his grandmother had on them. "No, mum! Focus on Victoire! _Mum_!"

_Boom._

"- -Greeting ladies!" Busting the door open of Shell Cottage, a blue-haired bloke strolled his way into the house; followed by a group of boys with sneering grins and laughing hysterically as they pushed their way in. Making it much more crowded to be inside the living room.

"Teddy Lupin- -" Standing as quickly and out of nowhere as how the men appeared, Molly crossed her arms over her chest and walked towards the man who had been her friend for years; my non-related brother. "Did I not tell you that a baby-shower is meant for girls only? Or are we going to go back to the times when you were six and you fancied dressing in Aunt Gin's dresses?"

Somewhere, among the mix of manly-bits, Freddie poked his head out; gasping as the information invaded the walls of my Aunt Fleur's home. "_Teddy_!"

"It's not true- -" My eldest brother retorted, frowning at my two redheaded cousins. "Molly, you lying wench, how long did you want us to get lost for? This is my wife's baby-bath thing, after all!"

"But_ I_ planned it for her and I say get out!"

Raising my eyebrow at the situation, I cleared my throat and being carefully undetected I moved my feet towards one of the halls. Escaping in before my mother or cousins could notice my departure, I pushed myself into the kitchen of Shell Cottage. Sighing to myself as a sudden pain beside my head started poking in; distracting me away from the alleged joyous occasion going on at the moment; the soon birth of Glorie Remy Lupin, my niece.

"- -Oh, sorry. Didn't know anyone was in here." Startling herself as she step one foot into the kitchen, the dark-haired beauty that hid herself in the corner of the festivity threw me an awkward glance. "I'll...just...go."

"Don't- -" I called after her, stopping her before she could turn back towards the hall. "Don't go, Gracen."

Hesitantly turning around, Gracen Goyle heaved as she looked back at me once more. "I don't want you to think that I'm constantly intruding, Lily. I'm here because Evanna invited me, and since she's about to be just as connected in the family as Emily Taylor is, I sort of have no choice. She is my best friend, after all."

A small smile appeared on my face. "Nott's pregnant and about to burst with my cousins' creatures, Gracen. If she would have allowed Molly to throw her a baby-shower and I was to show up, I would feel a bit hesitant to invade your territory as well. But...don't think that I'm suggesting you bugger off, Goyle...I just think that having each other around is unavoidable."

The dark-haired witch opened her mouth, but quickly shut it before anything could be said. She just furrowed her eyebrows at me, staring at me with a masked expression burning in her bright eyes. The same undefined way she has been looking at me for the past year, even after she graduated and left Hogwarts. (Like I said, seeing each other was unavoidable. Especially since Freddie had to go knock-up Evanna Nott in the middle of her Seventh Year Oh, that was a Christmas Dinner that no one will forget.)

"I know you hate me."

Locking eyes, both of us frowned as the same words came out from each others' mouths.

"Why do _you_ think that?" I asked, trying not to sound as surprised as I had let my facial expression show.

"I see the way you look at me, Lily. I know you don't like having me around...especially when you get your holidays and you know that Liam and I...He's my friend, Lily, please don't make me give that up to you too."

I bit my lip, scowling. "How could you even think, Goyle, that I would ask you to step away from Liam's life? I'm not his mother, he chooses his friends as he pleases and I have no say."

"But it effects you..."She whispered, leaning against the furthest wall of the white-walled kitchen. "I know it does. I can see it in your eyes when he passes through you, just to greet me, or when he hugs me. It's not my intention to cause you a pain, you know that, right?"

"...You still love him, right?" I questioned, my voice as tiny as a whisper as I remembered the confrontation the graduated Ravenclaw and I had two years ago; a battle of cruel words to see who was the right one. A moment of truth between two rivals who competed for Liam Greengrass's heart. ( Even as he had been mine from the very start and I practically handed him to her in shiny wrappings.)

"_Aw_!" Was heard from the living room, giving Gracen a few more seconds to gather her thoughts.

"More than I should at this point." She said sincerely, her eyes still focused on me as they began to break her usual facade. "It's been two years since I've had him with me , Lily, but...I _can't_ control what my heart feels. I've tried so hard to forget about him, _believe me_, but it's not happening as fast as I wish it would."

" I do believe you..."I bit my lip harder, trying to inhale deeply to control the rapid burning sensation behind my eye-sockets. "I know...I know he still loves you too, Gracen." My heart lurched inside of my chest, confessing those words that were so unholy to my ears that it never came out from my mouth before. A thought that I never allowed to formulate as I sat on the hill by the Black Lake at Hogwarts and contemplated the things that Liam could be doing; far from me as I attempted to complete my Seventh Year without calling quits and rushing to him because of how passionately my heart missed him.

"Not as much as he loves you, Lily. And we both know _that_." The elder witch replied, her eyes not showing any breaking emotions like mine were. "The type of love Liam feels for me is more of friendship, a deep one at that. I was there for him when you tore his world apart- -"She didn't ease her suggestive accusing tone as I flinched. "I was there to hold his hand when he couldn't see how he was going to make it out of the new challenge life threw at him...That's why he loves me, Lily; because I helped him hold on a bit longer before you came back to him and put him back together."

"...Do you hate _me_, Goyle?" My bottom lip trembled, all those years of practicing to keep my exterior strong and unbreakable went down the drain as the guilt I've been experiencing when the witch is around pierced me without mercy.

I knew had made mistakes, just like I've said so many thousands of times again. I was aware of the twisted ideas that formulated in my head and made me risk all that I had because I needed to prove to the world that I was different. That I wasn't a sacred person walking past their lives and that I could not be touched, that I could not be loved.

I gambled my relationship with Liam, a boy who loved me more than words could ever explain, because I wasn't getting through to people. Because I desperately needed to prove to _myself_ that I was more than what met the eye, that I _could_ be touchable and enjoyed.

To experience the odd obsessions of a growing teenage girl - to feel clutched by the most lustful of holds; to be handled with more than an adoring look and a soft kiss.

My innocence had lost itself along the way because of that.

"No." Gracen replied, a smile spreading on her face. "I don't hate you, Lily, and I never will. Even if I hadn't 'sacrificed' what was developing between Liam and I, I would have never been able to compete with your memory. J-Just...promise me something, please."

"Anything."

"Never forget what he is worth." Stepping away from her place by the wall, Gracen walked calmly towards me; her smile never leaving. "Never forget that he is more than what a temporary impulse can mean."

I stared at the hand she had extended out, glowing with truce exactly as the sudden cheerful gaze on her face. "Promise."

And our hands met, shaking as we laughed at the irony of the situation. Laughing with tears gathering in our eyes over a certain brunette bloke with dazzling brown eyes that drove us to where we were now; to the forgiveness and friendship that surged after the rivalry and heartbreak.

**X**

"Teddy Remus Lupin!"

"I didn't do anything!" _Crash. Crash._ "Ow!"

"Did you smuggle Fire-Whiskey inside of this house?"

"No!"_Crash. Crash_. "Okay, okay! _Ow_! I did!"

"Look at the state of your brother, Teddy!"

"He's funnier that way!" _Crash. Crash. _"Al, you idiot, you weren't supposed to get caught!"

"Get him, Mrs. Potter!"

"Nia, not the - -" _Crash. Crash. _"Oh."

"- - Escaping the beautiful family moment?" With the grass ruffling beside me, I felt an arm wrap itself around my shoulders; giving me a bit of warmth as the cold air of the sea below rose high in the atmosphere.

"Shouldn't you be locked up in Louis's room sipping on Fire-Whiskey like the other thickheads?" I asked, leaning into the body next to me. Pressing my head down to the lean shoulder, inhaling a scent that caused my heart to flutter.

The scent of my life, my heart.

"I _was_ in there, but then I thought of my Aunt Astoria. She would lock me out of Malfoy Manor if she even caught a whiff of it. And, besides, if I was completely intoxicated I wont be having the pleasure of witnessing what is going to happen to my dear cousin once she sees the state of him."

I rolled my eyes. "Just because you lot are out of Hogwarts and legally adults, that doesn't make you men, you know?"

With a hiss of air letting out through his teeth, Liam chuckled as he gave my shoulders a squeeze. "And I thought I was growing to be a handsome man."

My eyes rolled once again as Rose's screams started to echo on the walls of Shell Cottage. "I'm telling your mother, Scorpius Malfoy!"

"What wrong, Lils?" My boyfriend asked, noticing my silence. "You're not worrying about your final exams, are you? I'm sure you're going to do just fine. You've been constantly studying, according to your Uncle George because I'm not there as a distraction, that you should have no problem with that."

"It's not...It's not Hogwarts that's on my mind, Liam."I furrowed my eyebrows, letting my gaze rest over the colors of the darken sky.

"..._Then_?"

"Do you ever wonder, Liam, if we ever made a mistake?" I turned to him, unwillingly meeting his brown orbs. "If we changed something in fate because we decided to get back together? Because...you took me back after what I did?"

A light scowl appeared on Liam's face, making it glow from the enormous moon staring over us. "Where's this coming from, Lily?"

I shrugged, sighing to myself as I attempted to turn away from him, but was quickly stopped. His right hand reached towards my chin, holding my gaze locked into his softly as my eyes watered for the second time today. "Please..._please_ tell me you don't regret this, Liam. Please tell me that you don't ever wonder what life would have been like in the direction you had been taking before I asked for forgiveness..."

"There's _no_ other direction in life, Lily Luna Potter, that would have made sense if it didn't lead to you- -" He whispered, a dim smile stretching across his lips. "For a long time I was lost when we ended...I didn't know where I was going, just that someone was pulling me away from the darkness that had invaded my life. And once the light started showing me what was in front of me...I knew perfectly well that there was no meaning if you weren't there.

I have always known, Lily, from the moment my heart started thumping oddly in my chest from your presence, that _you'd_ be the one I will want forever. There is a certain gleam that lives in your eyes, that radiates off of your skin that draws me to you. That makes me so attached and bewitched...As long as your heart beats, mine does too."

And this time, without trying to keep the disguise of being the strong one, I let all those tears that had welled up inside of me to spill out. I allowed them to penetrate out from my pretense and just reveal themselves; showing that I was as fragile as the young girl I used to be. Of the young girl that I am.

I let those tears of the girl who had made her mistakes come back to the surface; to show her redemption of the most valuable thing she had given up. Of that thing that was sacred that she was never getting back now, of what should have been given to the boy that she loves more than her own dear life.

I cried for mourning of my innocence, of the virtue that should have been presented to Liam, given to him from the purest place of my heart and felt it leave my body; felt it be eased with honest love and his warming heart.

"One day soon, Lily- -"Whispering as my soul whimpered, Liam placed his free palm to the other side of my face. Looking deep into my crying eyes, so tenderly that I felt the remains of the mistake I had made mend themselves by the glowing in his brown eyes. "Once you're done with Hogwarts and I've settled myself entirely, I _will_ make you mine."

"I'm a-already yours..." I gave him a watery smile, leaning into his touch.

"You are." He nodded, a chuckle escaping through his parted lips. "But one day you'll be officially mine. One day, so soon, I promise, I will march into Godrics Hallow with a ring in my pocket and ask your father for your hand. I will ask permission to marry you, to take you and allow our lives to be intertwined together even more...One day, Lily, you'll be my wife. _I promise_..."

I leaned forward, my heart pumping as a reaction from his words. I looked at him for a millisecond through my lashes, a smile spreading even wider on my face as he closed his eyes with a blissful expression burning in every pore. Our lips met, and they moved so caressing amongst one another. It was kind and fresh, so pure and uncorrupted that it made the soul sing, made the wings of my heart flutter inside my chest. It made every single cell in my system come alive and explode out to the kiss; enhancing it as my fingers tangled into his brown strands.

If there is one thing that I have learned from this new year with Liam, is that my virtue may be gone, but my innocence isn't.

That I could have made those regrettable mistakes, but I _still_ loved with a heart of a child. I still loved with emotions so simple and sincere; with emotions that bubbled with purity for the boy I loved since I was thirteen. Because I loved Liam with brilliant colors that will always outshine the bad and illuminate the happiness that soars every time he brought his lips to mine. Because I will always love him from the most alluring places of my heart, body, and mind that could never be considered a sin.

"Love you..."

Leaning against the grass with him, still hearing the hectic commotion of the family I loved dearly, I rested my head on his chest. Hearing his heart- -_my_ heart- - beat fast against his chest, I sighed contently to myself. The moment so perfect that there was nothing else that needed to be added, nothing that could make it go away now. "I love you forever."

And at the moment, it was all I could do. And this time, forever I will hold on; taking it day by day.

* * *

** AN:Yay for the second part?...YAY!**

**Lol.**

**Alright, so I'm going to assume that some of you are NOT going to be content with this part of the epilogue; especially because I didn't go far with Lily and Liam. Well, agreed, BUT, I think that's better this way. I wanted to show that Lily had finally grown up and she understood the meaning of loving someone day by day. **

**I wanted to show that she learned to adjust herself better, and, besides, I HAD to get a little more insight on Gracen Goyle. She just didnt go "Oh, it's alright, home girl. Take my man! Live a happy life, peace!" She really did have feelings for him and I wanted to ALSO show that Lily still had a bit of remorse for the things she caused.**

**But ANYWAY, I promise that in the remaining 3 parts you'll get to see what happens to them in the future. Promise. Promise!**

**Love you guys!**

**XOXO.  
**


	43. Epilogue Part 3: Love Like Rockets

** Dominique's POV**

"This is completely unfair- -"Standing on top of the highest step of the spiral staircase, I cursed myself beautifully as I gaped at the massive explosion that had been brewed and set out in the middle of my living room. A thunderous mess sprawled at every inch of the floor that I couldn't even see the furniture, nor the carpet for that matter. "Son of a blinding witch!"

Time froze as I let some of those curses out.

"...Ready?"

"..._No_!..."

"...Do it now!"

"...I can't! She'll kill me."

"_I'll _kill you...Now!"

"Move, move, move!"

"But- -"

"Dustin Louis Rowle!"I hissed, taking one step at a time as my ears perked up at the whispers coming from the piles of rubbish decorating my living room. "Boy, you better come here before I curse you back into the womb."

"...Don't do it, Dust, it's a trap!"

"I've _got_ to!"

"You're a dead man!"

"...I'll see you lot on the other side..."

"Say hello to Snowball for me."

"Oh, I _knew_ you were going to bring you ruddy owl into this, Bliss!"

"You killed him, Max!"

"Did not! It was Theo!"

"Lies! It was Andres!"

"I couldn't control my magic...besides, I replaced it, didn't I?"

"With a rat!"

"-Dustin, _now_!" I tapped my foot, having been standing on the last step of the staircase for a few seconds; hearing the voices of devastation mumble and argue amongst themselves as my patience wore thin.

"...Bless him."

Peaking from behind one of the trashed couches, red hair became visible as emerald eyes shone with bravery, with courage to come out to the battle zone on their own. "Now, mum, before you get all Aunt Ginny on me, just know that it happened out of nowhere- -"

"Really?" I asked with a snort, knitting my eyebrows at the eight year-old boy sulking his way towards me. "And how, dare I ask, Dustin, did this _just_ happen? Did you knick a wand you didn't tell me about or did you suddenly become the descendant of Merlin himself that you just breathe magic?"

"What if I say that - just for fun - that Uncle Louis decided to rampage the house because you kicked him out yesterday night when he brought me fireworks and my room caught on fire?"

I raised my eyebrow, giving the boy a harsh stare as I contemplated the accusation.

Humph. Like that would ever happen.

He knew better.

Right?

"_Louis_!"

"He lies!" Jumping from behind the same couch, a tall fairy-like man with bright blonde hair stared terrified at me. His wand held up in defense as I sent him the deadliest glance I could muster; a strong mix between what a Weasley woman can do and what I've picked up from the Malfoy's all these years. "How can you bring up a snitch up in this family, Dominique? Do you know the label you have brought yourself, kid?" He turned his blue-eyes towards Dustin, frowning.

"Eh, at least I don't kill pets." My son shrugged, grinning mischievously as another body popped out from the mess.

"- -It was _one_ time!" Scowling deeply, a tan-skinned boy aimed a cushion at Dustin; appearing out from the furthest side of the living room with irritated bright eyes. "I was trying to turn the rose blue and instead the bloody bird flopped dead!"

"It's alright, Andres, darling, it happens- -" I sighed, staring at my second cousin with sympathetic eyes. (Well, what? I remember blasting Louis's pet frog, Jumpy, to its' tragic death when I was six. It's an accident, it happens!) I gave the seven year-old a smile, seeing every bit of Roxanne's innocence in his eyes and Lucas Zabini's charm in his face. "Just be careful next time, okay? Bliss is a little more developed in her magic than you are and she will hex you with a blink of an eye."

"- - Yeah!" Again, jumping up into view, another small figure rose from the mess they had made. "My daddy got me Snowball for my birthday!" Bliss placed her small hands on her hips, trying to copy the exact pose Emily does whenever she is going to punish James. (Ugh. Insert shiver and perverted thought here.) "Now I've got to find a new owl to deliver my mail when I go to Hogwarts!"

"- -That's in _four_ years, Bliss. Dustin will be going faster than you are and he doesn't even have a frog to keep him company."

"And he needs it; it's not like he'll have any friends or anything.- -"Chortling together like a tag-team, two identical redheaded seven year-olds crossed their chubby arms over their chests as the walked towards Dustin and I. Smirking darkly as my son scowled at them.

"- -Not to worry, Dust, you can always be friends with Mrs. Norris." Riley Angela and Rory Georgina said in unison, earning an eye-roll from Bliss and Andres.

"It's like Freddie is present!" Louis grinned, laughing along with the twins. "Merlin, I miss that git. Why'd he have to go to France with Uncle George?" Pouting for a second, Louis sighed. (Of course the ruddy idiot was feeling the pain, Coral had grounded the veela for the month. Making it impossible for him to join Uncle George and Freddie for their annual Weasley Wizard Wheezes convention abroad.) "Why did he leave me behind?"

"...Why did he leave _us_?" Riley and Rory scoffed in a whisper, frowning at my brother. "_We_ would have behaved."

"Don't worry, dad, I'm sure Uncle Freddie will bring you something back- -" And the last from my tormentors appeared; flashing his icy blue-eyes at me as he smiled angelically. (Curse the veela blood running in our system.) "He did last time, remember?"

"It's not the same, Maxim, it's not the same..."Louis heaved, flipping himself over so that he landed on my couch with a _thud_ and sat his lazy-ass comfortably.

"Okay, okay." I raised a palm in the air, stepping over a broken vase that Victoire had sent me for Easter two years ago. (Not much of a loss there, mind you. It was pretty horrific looking that I doubt a troll wanted it as a goblet.) "All of you, stop talking. You better find a rag and a broom and begin sweeping this mess up! Just because, out of the goodness of my heart, I'm taking care of you lot doesn't mean that I won't start aiming curses at any of you, got it? - And that means you too, Louis!" I hissed as my brother snorted at my remark.

"I told Coral I should have gone to Shell Cottage, but _no_! So, complain to her because, I assure you, I didn't want to be here either!"

"Clean. _Now_." I repeated, my anger leaking in as the small group of threats began to scramble; all of them heading towards a different destination and picking up the objects they destroyed to pieces on my carpeted floor. "Without magic, Louis."

"But- -"

"I'm trying to teach you a lesson, little brother, so drop the wand."

Muttering to himself as Maxim patted his back soothingly, Louis tossed his wand onto a small part of my center table that was starting to reappear. "I can never do anything in this house."He said to his six year-old son, picking up wrappers of sweets and throwing them angrily into a plastic bag Bliss was holding.

"You know, Aunt Dom, a nice beating would have done the trick as well- -" Starling me for a second - and I mean second; don't think I'm going soft or anything - a lanky redhead girl walked out of the kitchen, sipping on a muggle juice-box as she watched unimpressed at the little workers hurrying to make my house spotless again. "But I see you've gone the Weasley-Women way. With the yelling, threatening, and unbreakable eye-contact." _Sip. Sip. Sip. _"How predictable of an elder witch."

Raising my eyebrow at the girl as I slowly slithered my palms away from my waist, I looked deeply at the girl; captivated of how unmoved she was with my frown. "Well, Sidney, I don't know how your mum handles things in the muggle-world of yours, but believe me, secluding this lot into a corner does not do the trick."

"_Or_ it just might be that Dustin will tell Uncle Bill if you chase him around and your father will be apparating here and scolding you. _Again_." She smiled, removing the straw from her mouth as she batted those thick eyelashes at me.

"When did Molly raise such a cryptic kid, Sid?" Was my clever comeback, adding a bit of a mocking stare as she sipped more of the juice. (Damn kids these days, don't get terrified over anything. How I miss the days when people would run from me, just a signal of my flaming red hair and they would gladly hide with cockroaches. But now - now they answer back like if I haven't been making people cry for years.)

_Sip. Sip._ Shrug. _Sip_."The same day you lost your touch." (Touche.)

"I like you, Sid, please never change." I laughed, reaching over and ruffling her fiery strands as I walked towards the direction she came in.

It was quite ironic that from all of us, all the Third Generation rejects, that Molly would be the one to - so far - produce a sane be the one to have a child that sat still for more than three seconds, that paid attention, that had manners, ate silently, talked quietly- -it was like being related to a Martian.

Sidney was a great girl, so bright and intelligent, but there were things that differed her from everyone else. From every other kid that has been brought into the Weasley/Potter clan all these years that gave her a sense of maturity, of better understanding - - Sidney didn't have a father.

"What are you doing here?"

Blinking coal eyes moved towards the entrance of the kitchen, gazing up at me as they started being invaded by a smug-fill. "I live here."

"Clever remark, Rowle, shall I punish you for it?"I glared, stepping onto the tiles of the kitchen and heading towards the pots assembling themselves over the stove. "No talking back, remember?"

"Oh, you can punish me whenever you want." Derrick laughed, spinning on his stool as he drank out of his goblet with a little too much cheerfulness.

"Not going to happen anytime soon, Rowle." I huffed, remembering the sickening gurgles in my stomach that caused me to run upstairs and signal the devastation to occur in the first place. "How did it go in the Ministry? Uncle Harry treating you well, or does he still have you filing archives with Teddy?"

"He's _still_ upset- -"My husband hissed, his bubbly spirit fading away. "And it was Lupin's fault. I had the situation completely under control when he decided I was still 'untrained' to handle the case on my own. Bloody want-to-be Head Auror; _that's _why he got himself cursed and me secluded in an office for a week. I hope he limps for the rest of his life."

"It's called working as a team, Derrick." I sighed, turning from the boiling water in one of the pots. Looking at my husband with a serious expression as my heart gave an aching thump at the memory of Uncle Ron appearing at my front door to tell me Rowle was hospitalized. (I swear I lost it more than my Aunt Gin had all those years ago when my Uncle Harry was in the same place. It took three days for the Healers to repair the damage I had caused to their Waiting Room, and I was just barely getting started.) "I know you've trained hard for your spot in the Auror Office, but you can't forget the basics just because you joined in. You work as a _team_, to protect one another."

"I could have taken those gits on- -"

"But you didn't."I muttered, my voice coming out uncharacteristically low. "You were hit right after Ted was. Both of you went down because _you_ attempted to take on a pack of lunatics without consulting your partner, Derrick."

"Yeah, well, Lupin acts on instinct all the time, Dom. It was just an impulse, I never suspected that because of it Lupin would get hurt. It was just an accident and he over reacted."

"An accident that could have been deadly, Rowle!" I finally snapped, growing angry at the lack of comprehension he was showing. "Stop thinking that Teddy is underestimating the situation, he _has_ gone through that before! Or you don't remember when he put his father's life on the line because he acted out of impulse?" My eyes narrowed and I heard the little voices in the other room quiet themselves, the footsteps decreasing in their speed. "People lose their lives in your field all the time because of their 'impulses', because they don't learn to work as a team and to protect their skins in every possible angle...People that leave everything without even a notice; they leave their wives, their friends, their _children_...Remember that next time you take on a group of demented wizards on your own."

"...Wait, I didn't 's demented?"

"Uncle Teddy is."

"Why?"

"He ate someone's skin."

"_Ew_."

Taking a few seconds, Derrick stood from his stool. His anger fading as quick as it had shown up; replacing it with that gorgeous smile as soon as I controlled my boiling fury. "I love it when you get worked up." He whispered teasingly, smiling down at me as he wrapped his long arms around my waist.

I let him reel me in even as I heard bubbles popping from the stove, allowing him to hold me tighter as his dark eyes remained peering into mine with an entangled web of emotions; all of them so beautifully complicated. "...I thought you'd leave me again, Derrick. I can't handle that...I don't know how I survived it the first time...but the second time - the _thought_ of a second time - it made me go mental."

"Well, we wouldn't be us if we weren't mental, would we?" He said in the same low tone, his right hand brought up to my face, lightly moving the surface of his finger over my skin with soft caresses. "You wouldn't be the girl I fell in love with if you weren't completely insane...Besides, Dom, I would _never_ leave you again. Never by will at least; you know that."

"You better not, you have way too much here."I smiled, throwing my arms over his neck. Removing the clutch I had on his arms, something that has become a habit for me since the moment he came back to me all those years ago. A reminder that he was actually standing there, that I felt his flesh on mine. That his bones were there, strong and never disappearing like those haunting dreams I used to endure.

"I know- -"His eyes gleamed with a sneer, and before I could question that gesture his lips were pressed down onto mine.

Our lips sealed together in that flaming manner that could only exist in a couple like us. Moving in that fierceness that determined who controlled who; in that passionate way that our locked lips could show the heated love that burned beneath our skins. A love that was far too much for one sane person to handle, but enough for two completely mental people to enjoy and thrive on it.

Our love was powerful, mixed with so much intensity that it could set a room on fire, that could explode and cause our lives to end in a second. It was aggressive, vicious, untamed, indescribable, awkward, grand, claiming, vivid, colorful, intense, sweet, nonchalant, energetic, and very necessary.

It was a commanding emotion, one so elemental that it gave us a reason to breathe and be alive. A love between two differently similar people - between a true Gryffindor and Slytherin.

It was our very own; a love like rockets.

"Do you think- -"He murmured, smirking against my lips as he stopped their skilled movements; tracing his hand down my face and resting it over my abdomen with a glowing look taking over his dazzling face. "That I would ever think about leaving you three?"

I swallowed. "_T-Three_?"

"Angelina and George stopped by, they were having lunch with Ron and Hermione and had agreed to meet in the Ministry seeing as George had a few things to settle with Percy's department. She came into the filing room, smiling widely- -"

"For Merlin's bloody sake!" I groaned, feeling the flush crawl its' way onto my cheeks as the stupid bloke continued to leer at me like he was placed under the ruddy Cheering Charm.

"- -She gave me a tight embrace and congratulated me."He finished, still looking full of himself.

"Does no one in this family know the meaning of privacy?" I growled, shoving his arms away from me. "She's a Healer for Hufflepuff's sake! She took an oath that she was to keep her patients diagnoses _confidential_!"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, scoffing at my previous remark. (Yeah, because privacy among the Weasley's is like talking about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named being my grandmummy.)

"Well, you could have let me adjust myself to the vomiting and extra dosage of hormones before I skipped over the bloody rainbow and told the world." I spat, turning back towards the stove and moving the pot of water that had almost fully evaporated. "It's been eight years since I've felt like cliff diving and murdering everyone in front of me, that I was trying to let the warmness of it circle my head."

Derrick rolled his eyes, just on cue as I turned towards him once more. "You know you're not allowed to cliff dive this time, right? I'm not having my mother-in-law storming in here and shouting at me in French that I'm not doing my job as a husband."

"Forget about my mum and my cravings for a second, alright." I crossed my arms over my chest, resisting the urge to pull out my wand and bitch-slapping him on the face with it. (Ah, and so it returns!) "How are we going to tell Dustin?"

"- -Tell me what?"

"Ah..."Popping his head inside the kitchen, Dustin moved his puzzled emerald eyes from his father and I.

"What's going on?" Dustin knitted his red brows, making his entire body visible as Derrick coughed uncomfortably by my side. "What do you need to tell me?"

"Shouldn't you be cleaning?" I asked, growing panicked.

"We needed more trash bags- -" He said, not distracted even for a millisecond. "Tell me what?"

_Sip. Sip. _"Congratulations, cousin- -" _Sip. Sip. _Sidney appeared behind Dustin, shaking her juice box as her eye looked into the whole of the straw; looking casual as we all stared at her with thumping heart beats. (Well, except for Dustin who frowned at his cousin as if she was sprouting a second-head and webbed fingers.) "Your mum's pregnant; you're having a sibling."

_ Slurp. Slurp. Slurp. _

"All gone- -"Sid sighed, pushing my son out of the way as she headed towards the refrigerator. "You don't mind if I have another, right, Aunt Dom?"

"..._Surprise_?" Derrick and I both said in unison; looking at the first product of our strange, but very blessed, love.

"Really?" Dustin mumbled, his eyebrows shooting up in shock. "Really, really?"

I grinned at the symbol of our flame; my head spinning with emotions as Derrick rubbed his warm palm over the new addition to our burning happiness. To where a brand new life formed its' own little flame. A flame that no doubt will grow to be an engulfing blaze that will set my world brilliantly on fire. "Really."

* * *

** An: Aw? Yay? Nay? Boo? Blah? Get lost and never write again?**

**Lol. Well, here you have it. The 3rd part to the Epilogue. Not my best, I personally think, but hope you like it.**

**Summarizing it up :Dominique's pregnant. Again. DUN. DUN. DUN. (That's a train wreck waiting to happen!)**

**Anyway, I'm going to update you on the kids that have joined the story, apart from Bliss and Dustin.**

**1. Andres Zabini. (Guess who's the parents? DING. DING. DING! Roxy and Lucas, lol.)**

**2. The twins: Riley Angela and Rory Georgina Weasley. (Evanna and Freddie.)**

**3. Maxim Dominic Weasley. (Louis and Coral.)**

**4. Sidney "Sid" Free Weasley. (Molly.)**

**Alright, there is still more of these creatures to come in the last two remaining chapters, so I'll keep the list updated lol. Promise. Anyway, Im sure some of you are going to ask, but I promise I will ALSO get into Sid's 'fatherless' issue.**

**Well, that's it for today. Heading to bed! It's almost 3 in the morning! xD**

**Ily!  
**

**P.S! I am aware that all these kids are Dom's second cousins, but I prefer if they called her Aunt Dom xD  
**


	44. Epilogue Part 4: Mine

**Epilogue Part Four: Nia's POV**

_Crash._

"Take that back!"

"What? Hell no!"

_Crash. Crash._

"Take it back!"

"Never!"

_Crash. Bang. Crash._

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!"

"Loud and clear, you flobberworm!"

"The Holy-Head Harpies are more brilliantly wicked than the Chudley Cannons!" In the assembled ring of mockers and people placing bets that had taken up the middle of the grand garden, Louis Weasley coward himself into a protective ball to prevent any injuries to his pale, veela face. "Aunt Ginny kicked ass and dominated the women Quidditch league!"

_Crash._

"_And_?" Another sphere of crystal-balls - that Hermione Weasley had collected throughout her years after Hogwarts for Merlin-knows-what - was thrown at the blonde male; making him let out a colorful curse word as it crashed into smithereens on his head.

"He's not going to say it."

"Of course he is! His life depends on it!"

"Thirty sickles;your on!"

"Louis, _don't_! For all your manly-bits, don't!"

From the gap that the circle had made, I watched as Louis peered over his arms; looking at the women standing before him, a crystal-ball raised high as her emerald dress flowed beautifully down her body. "I-I...I..."

"Say it." The attacker commanded.

"I- -"Louis swallowed, shaking his head in shame as the next words slipped out of his mouth. "I love you."

Groans broke out throughout the group, and the woman lowered her weapon. "Aw, I love you too, little brother!" Dominique squealed, aiming a swift kick at her brothers' ribs. "Now, was that so hard?"

"I'm so glad that I managed to pull myself out of bed for this- -"Lily Greengrass commented from my side, her body twisted in an angle on her seat to watch the abusing-moment of the night. "Morning sickness, aching feet, mood swings gone awry, but it isn't Christmas if no one makes Louis cry at least once."

The wind blew swiftly around us - around the massive group that had been gathering for years on this specific day. It touched us softly, almost caressing-like as the Burrow shined with thousands of little lights; all of them coming together to ignite the magnitude of the moment. They were all in different colors, to highlight the festive occasion.

Oh, yes, it was a Weasley-Christmas at the Burrow.

"James- -"Emily called from across the table, standing up slightly to make sure her husband was looking at her. "Could you please come and sit? Stop passing Dominique objects to throw at her brother! You're giving Bliss ideas!"

"And if she starts attacking my Glorie again, James, I will come after you!" Teddy Lupin added, waving a chicken wing menacingly at his adoptive-brother. "- -Angelique, no!Honey, do not hit your sister!" Standing up from the table quickly as Victoire sighed in resignation, Teddy headed towards the small table Molly Weasley, the first, had set aside for the younger addition to her already-large family.

Rubbing my temples from all the hectic noise that was going on at once, I stared at Teddy removing his two year-old away from his three year-old; the girl that resembled him the most pulling on Glorie's luscious blonde hair. "Definitely glad I came."

"- -Don't be so bitter, Nia."Rose commented, stopping the conversation that she was having with her mother as I scowled. "It's Christmas and you could not have spent it all alone - especially not in your condition."

"My _condition_?" I huffed, looking down to the untouched plate of food. "It's more like a damn curse, Rose. I have been suffering for more than two-hundred and fifty days! I think it's safe to say that I am allowed to crawl into a hole and die."

"Honestly, Nia- -"Turning away from the group in the middle of her grandparents garden, Lily placed her palms on the tip of her swollen stomach; looking quite heavenly as her face glowed with such intensity that she could have been mistaken as a firefly. "You have been complaining since the day you found out about your condition. You haven't stopped scowling and swearing every two seconds when a symptom becomes dominant and you're forced to remember that you are, erm, _limited_ at the moment."

"I blame your stupid brother." I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest as Ginny Potter looked at me from her place at the end of the table. Her brown eyes connecting with mine for a few seconds, throwing me a knowing smile that forced some of my irritation to fade. "...What if I'm not good enough?" I mumbled to my sister-in-law, my gaze tearing away from her mothers' and watching as Evanna Nott kneeled beside her twins.

The former Ravenclaw looked as if she was in paradise as she smoothed one of the twins red hair; her eyes sparkling with adoration for the small identical creatures that she and Freddie Weasley had created together. She looked like she fit in perfectly well at the roles that had been given to her - at the roles that were rightfully meant to be hers even when I had taken one of them away from her.

She had been meant to be a part of the Weasley/Potter clan, and most importantly to be a mother. To care for the little girls with everything she had, to transform from that rough-skinned girl that stood almighty in front of everyone; to become a strong mother.

"- -Everyone is different, Nia."Lily whispered, her eyes following mine. "Half of us didn't expect the things that we were thrown to us, but we adjusted. That's the point of life, isn't it? To change constantly, to evolve time and time again as everything changes into something _more_ spectacular."

"But what if I wasn't meant to change, Lily? What if I was meant to stay exactly the same..."I looked away from my former-enemy-now-friend to my husband, to Albus Potter bouncing Maxim, Louis's son, in the air. "I've had months to prepare me for this and I can't do it. Everyday that passes by I feel more indifferent...more cold at the thought that one day I'm going to be like Emily...That I'm going to be a mother, a-and...I just know I'm going to be a horrible one."

"Don't say that." Lily snapped in a harsh murmur, her hands still plastered on her pregnant stomach as the people around us pretended not to be listening in.

"Then what am I supposed to say?" I replied, my heart dropping inside of my chest with a painful beat as my organs burned; a knot forming in my chest as Al continued to laugh beautifully happy with Maxim, adding more to my pain as his niece joined the picture. (Just like her father, Bliss was not one to be left behind when fun arose.) "That one day I'll give the thought of children a possibility and hopefully by then I'm not a coldhearted woman? Face it, Lily, I'm not meant to be a mother and you know it."

"I _know_ that you love everyone of these kids, Nia- -"The redhead pointed a discreet finger at all of the current offspring of the Third Generation of her family.A small smile tugged at the end of my lips as Dustin and Angelique teamed up to tickle Glorie, their giggles residing around the garden; enhancing the magical moment of the family dinner. "I know that your warm to them and that you treat them kindly when it is your turn to take care of all them. And, believe me, if you can handle the mental lot then you are most definitely qualified to be a mother."

The smile slowly slipped, electric currents raced down my spine as my insides still pained. "Why can't I feel it for my own, then? Why is it that every time Al goes on about one day making a big family , I go blank at the thought?"

"- -Aunt Nia!" Interrupting the angry response that was sure to come from Lily, Bliss came running towards me. Her fluffy pink skirt swaying along with the wind as her hands were lost inside her dark hair. "Come and play! Uncle Al is being unfair! We need another girl!"

I chuckled at Mister Potter's spitting-image in the form of a three year-old girl; letting her tug my hand as Maxim encouraged her pleas from his place next to Al. "Alright, alright, Bliss. But just for a couple of minutes, or your Aunt Angelina will beat me senseless with a beaters bat if I'm not sitting down."

Rising up from my chair, my right palm instinctively went flying to my stomach. Holding it with a rush of protectiveness from the cold night as Bliss's eyes widened at the size of my abdomen, my smile reappearing as she muttered 'Big baby' and placed her hand against the hard surface of my stomach. She moved her hand in a soft circle, wrinkling the material of my black dress as she cooed at the form of life growing inside of me.

"- -Been awfully quiet, love."Al grinned widely at his niece and I as we approached, his own palms reaching towards the place that kept his extension of the Potter family. "Are you alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me as, once again, my mood slipped from me.

"I'm brilliant."I lied easily, tugging that smile back on when the little girl pulled away from me and she charged towards her blonde cousin. "Never better; can't say the same for Louis, but I reckon that's what he gets for infuriating Dominique so late at night."

Al laughed, nodding his head as he pushed his hands and slid them towards my back. Pulling me close to him - which wasn't as close as I would have wanted since my lump created distance - and wrapped his arms around my waist as the decorated leaves in the tress around the garden blew with cold air; making the tiny bulbs sway with the wind. "You won't be like Coral, right, Nia? You won't let Dom attack me via Divination-tools and just sit back and enjoy?"

I rolled my eyes, my own arms finding their way around his neck. "Well, if you ever question my womanly-rights when it comes to riding a broom, I _will_ unleash your cousin on you, as well."

"Then I'm perfectly safe..."He whispered, moving his nose to mine. "My mum is the teacher of feminist rights to all these mental girls, that I've learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to any of them playing a round of Quidditch with us."

"I'd take you on any day- -"

"Soon, not yet." He replied, his emerald eyes connecting with mine as a shot of fire pulled on my insides.

The pain was distracted as he pushed his lips onto mine.

As we kissed, ignoring the distant chorus of '_Ew_!' of all the children - including the familiar ones of Liam, Freddie, and James - my blood started boiling with the previous burst of flames. It circled down from my throat, passed my heart and rushed to the pit of my stomach; making my eyes open against my will as I tried to enjoy my husbands' kiss.

"_Ow_!"I hissed, pushing Al away as my bottom-half began throbbing with pain. "Son of a - -"

"Nia!" Al clutched onto me, my mind blocking everything out as I felt a wave of water racing down my legs and I began sinking to the grassy floor.

**X**

"_Argh_!"

"Do something, Aunt Angelina!" Through my loud scream that echoed off of the four walls of the labor room of St. Mungos, Al gripped my hand with all his might. His eyes looked bewildered and fighting with themselves to not shed tears from the pain they were watching me endure. "Mum!"

Well aware of my audience, another scream rippled past my throat. "No! No!" I shouted, clenching my teeth as sweat drops raced down the sides of my forehead. "I'm not ready!"

"Nia, darling- -"Mrs. Potter pushed past the other Healer helping Angelina Weasley, and took my free hand. She gave me a solemn stare as her son clutched on to me as if he was trying to pour all of his strength into me; almost as if my open pores would absorb it all and it would halt my screams. "You're more than ready; it's been exactly nine months. It's time."

"I-It can't be!" I hissed, my fist tightening as a wave of pain took over me. "I-I'm n-not ready. I haven't..._argh_...I haven't finished baby-proofing our flat. A-And...I didn't get to give my Christmas presents to the f-family."

"That's not important, Nia!"Al blurted, his face turning a couple of shades whiter as my mouth opened and a soundless scream burned my throat, making new tears trail down my face as Mrs. Potter ran a hand through my blonde hair soothingly. "It's time! You're going into labor!"

"- -Alright, Nia, this is it."My eyes shot open as Healer Weasley pulled my legs open, positioning them on either side of the bed they had me in. "Breathe in and try to ease your heart rate. Begin pushing when I say so."

"N-No..."I cried, my bottom lip quivering as my tears mixed with my sweat. "I'm s-scared...I'm s-scared..."

"You'll be fine." My husbands' Aunt assured me through my pain. "I've helped every of the other girls give birth, Nia. Trust me...it's going to be fine.."

"She's fully dilated, Angelina. Time to push- -"

Panic rose through my body as the assistant helped Angelina place on her gloves, both of them fully prepared to commence my labor and bring into the world the life that had been waiting too long to come out.

My heart was pounding inside my chest with uncanny speed, colliding with my chest so harshly that it started to sound out the howls of pain that I was giving. It invaded my ears with a loud _thump, thump, thump _that I couldn't even hear the encouraging words that were coming out of Al's mouth.

I just stared, forcing myself to push with all my might as I felt like I was being torn open. I watched Angelina switch from looking at me to the opening in my body that was causing me the greatest psychical pain I had ever known. My eyes moved to meet Al's face, and to my silent surprise, he was staring right at me. His green-eyes were looking deeply at me; with the greatest emotion that I had ever seen cross his face.

I knew that he loved me - knew that ages ago. But the way his eyes were shinning was as if I had been the only person that only existed, like if I was the best thing that he had ever laid eyes on. There was so much love, so much adoration that I had to look away.

All this time that's passed since I found out about the pregnancy, I've been scared. Now I see it - I _was_ scared, drowning in fear that the idea of having the product of our love growing inside of me never fully registered.

"Push, Nia, push!"

"_Argh_!"

"One more push, Nia, the shoulders are out!"

Gritting my teeth, a scream was muffled as I gripped onto Al's hand with all the force that I could muster.

"It's out! It's out!"

"_Ow_!"I shouted, feeling like a tiny fragment of the undying pain had resided.

"It's boy!"

"A boy?" Al asked loudly, his face expressionless as the assistant Healer lifted a small body in the air; quickly wrapping it with a towel as a different wail pierced the room. "I-I...I have a son..._A son_. Mum, I- -"

"Argh! Ow! Oh, Merlin, _ow_!" I interrupted, startling Ginny and Al in their mother-and-son moment as a greater pressure burned my insides.

"What's going on?" Al squeaked, his eyes moving away from the baby boy that was crying not that far from us.

"There's a second baby- -"

"What?" I bellowed, gripping onto my hair with the hand Al had let go.

"Well, you would have known you were having twins if you would have wanted to know the sex of the baby!" Angelina snapped, her hands already starting their professional work as I yelled in pain once more.

"Come on, darling, it's almost over." My mother-in-law chanted, still holding on to my hand for support as tears piled up in her sockets. "Breathe, breathe."

Shaking the momentary shock from his head, Al took my hand into his once more. Continuing the profound stare that he had been doing when I was giving birth to our son. "I love you so much, Nia. I love you, I love you."

My body filled with warmth despise of the flashes of new contractions that were dominating inside of me; my eyes connected with his and I felt like the world was spinning all around me. I felt like everything that I had lived since the moment I met Albus Potter was starting to flash before my eyes - and somewhere among those memories my girly fantasies came back to me.

I saw myself as that past Fifth Year Gryffindor - sitting on the windowsill in the earliest of dawn while Emily and Rose were still sleeping in their four-posters. My mind lost with dreams of ever walking down the aisle with Al, becoming his wife, of sharing my entire life with him as I stared unfocused at the sunless sky.

I remember wanting to give him my all; to give him everything I had and more, but there was fear. Fear that flash-forward a year later to when Ophelia De la Cruz appeared into our lives. To when she made sure I knew that Al could escape my grasp at any given moment. She let me know what true pain felt like; how to experience the heart tearing piece by piece when the person who owned it gave it back to you after he let it slip and crash. She gave me the cursed gift of fear, of doubt, of installing the phobia that I _could_ suffer all over again and die alone.

Because that's how I felt - like I was going to die from the agonizing pain that Al had left me in. It was the secret dread that I lived with everyday that came after he mended my heart and protected it once more, this time from an even more fragile state than it originally was. It was fear that even though I had indeed given him my entire life and soul, that one day he would leave me all over again...

"It's a girl!"

"A girl?"I muttered, my body slamming against the mattress with deep exhaustion as the last ghost of a scream disappeared from my throat.

"Twins." Al breathed beside me, his emerald eyes dripping out tears. "Our son and daughter, Nia."

"Oh, my, look at them." Mrs. Potter commented, lowering the first born into my arms as Angelina handed the girl to Al. "They're beautiful, Nia."

"What will you name them?" Angelina asked, smiling grandly as Al lowered himself next to me; his arms shaking as he held onto his daughter with his own fear gushing out like radiation. Still crying - but this time for an entirely different reason - I snuggled closely to Al as our twins opened their eyes at the same moment.

The boy had the faintest trace of blonde hair, just like mine. But his eyes, his eyes were already shinning with that brilliant emerald shade that had been passed down to the Potters by Lily Evans. He had the same shape, same thick lashes as Mister Potter and Al did; a resemblance so prominent that Mrs. Potter gasped as she took in the magnitude of her new grandsons' gaze.

The baby girl that Al was carrying was the opposite, it was already clearly obvious. She had the thinnest strands of black hair, slightly waving in the ends just as James and Al had. But her round, open, newborn eyes shone an entirely contrasting color than the green her brother had. Hers where an icy blue; just like mine.

I stared at them, my heart doing twirls and spins in my chest as they began closing their eyelids; drifting off to a soundless sleep after the commotion I had made that had brought them into this world. There was a deep feeling in my chest, that ran deep in my blood, that made me love them instantly.

I had to, anyway; they were mine.

"Neo- -"I began, resting a finger on my new sons' chin. "Neo and Alexa Jamie Potter."

Grinning widely as our little girl gave a yawn, Al managed to move an arm around my shoulder. His eyes still looking at me like the utter most important thing that he had ever seen. His eyes shone with a deeper love; a love that was mixed with vivid gratitude after nine months of waiting for our own little creatures. "I like it. Neo and Alexa, _ours_."

It had been a silly fear, I can see now. It had been the pains of the past that didn't let me thrive on everything that I have gained since the disastrous break-up that had taken place years ago. It had been my old self whispering words of caution, because somewhere in the darkest part of my head I knew Al was capable of leaving.

I lowered my head onto his shoulder, my eyes closing along with the exhaustion that was still pressuring me to rest. "I love you, I love you." I whispered.

And what conquered that fear now?

Well, the past will always be there to haunt my dreams if it wished, but when I wake up from them, I will still know one thing; that Albus Severus Potter was _mine_, and I will forever be his.

* * *

** AN: Alright, Alright, I know! **

**It took me AGES to update. I'm sorry, I was just having tremendous writers block =/. But I have it up now, so YAY!**

***Cheers loudly***

**Anyway, wasn't it sweet? In...an odd sort of way?**

**Anyway, next and final epilogue is the one you guys are waiting for! Wooo! Lol.**

**:)  
**


	45. Epilogue Part 5: Heaven Can Wait

_Italics=Memory._ ;)

* * *

**Epilogue Part Five: Scorpius and Rose POV**

_It was massive - the green grass, trees, and flowers had never looked so grand in their natural state before. He had walked down that grassy-path for years, and yet he had never paid attention to how beautiful it was. To how intense the color that created the vegetation was the greatest shade of an earthy green. He had never seen the flowers so beautifully vibrant, or the bushes so cleverly shaped._

_ The garden of the Malfoy Manor had always been majestic, but now in its' decorated splendor of pure white - from tables, chairs, clothes, the chapel in the center - it seemed to glow with the greatest attraction yet. He knew that the garden was always going to be the most important place of Malfoy Manor for the rest of his life from then on._

"No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"

"Forbid it? Ha!"

Standing outside of the grand doors of my grandparents living room, I took a deep breath before entering the room. I heard the argument from the higher levels of the grand home and I was already dreading coming down and having to put a stop to it.

"You do not get it, this is a major moment in her life!"

"Exactly, and it should be made if she wants to."

"It's too dangerous!"

"It's practical, everyone does it."

"It's true- -"A new, tiny, voice chimed in. Sounding so contrasting from the other two arguing voices. "Everyone does it. It's quite common in the muggle-world."

"It's quite common in the muggle-world." The voice I had been listening to since birth, repeated.

"Since when do _you_ do things the muggle way?"Opening the doors, I watched Mister Weasley frown; his ears already turning as red as his hair. "Since when does a Malfoy consider _muggle_ methods better than our own?"

Sitting on a leather armchair, directly beside the fireplace, Draco Malfoy took a quiet sip of his glass of Fire-Whiskey and smirked at his former-enemy. "Since I became the favorite."

_He walked with intense glee, a smile tugged on his lips and a pounding heart in his chest, but his footsteps were light. He walked down that familiar path that led towards the living room of Narcissa Malfoy, walking with a little bounce that made him feel quite childish. But it was his day, so it didn't matter, he was just too overjoyed to act like the proper wizard that the Malfoys had brought up years ago._

_ "Mother, I've- -"Stopping him on his tracks and silencing his energetic words, the blonde male froze as he noticed a brunette woman standing in the middle of the living room instead of the blonde woman he was expecting to see._

_She was standing with a blank look on her face, her eyes miles away from the present. She stood with her lilac-colored dress clutched in her hands, not letting them touch the floor. Her brown waves were left natural, but with a little more bounce and a decorative flower pinned to the side of her head. _

_ "I never expected to come back here..."The woman whispered, stopping the blonde from leaving the room as he started taking steps back. "To step foot inside Malfoy Manor...Not even when I had already known the outcome of my daughters' choice for a boyfriend."_

_ He bit his lip, knowing the history that had gone on in this room. "I'm sorry..."He murmured back, his bubbly emotions replaced with an overwhelming guilt. "I...I know this is hard for you, coming back...but, I'm sorry."_

_ Hermione Weasley peered her eyes up at the blonde, calculating whether she should say what was already threatening to come out of her mouth. She knew she shouldn't, but she had been around those speak-now-think-later Weasleys for almost three decades - she _had_ to say it. "I was tortured here by your Aunt Bellatrix Lestrange. Tortured for being a mudblood rather than having information she wanted; humiliated because I was unworthy, a muggle-born...How does one get over that?"_

_ "...I'm sorry."_

_ "Don't be- -"Hermione cut in, her voice sharp as she interjected the apologies that were useless. "Don't be, Scorpius. It's not your fault."_

_ "It was my family's fault." Scorpius Malfoy replied, his expression turning into an obvious twist of shame and awkwardness. He had never had this conversation with none of the Weasley/Potters, even when they had all known the history. No one had ever brought it up, nor had the guts to mention what the Malfoys had done to their beloved Hermione Granger. But Scorpius knew that one day it was bound to happen. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry that I had all of you come here today...It's just...I wanted to make my grandmother happy..."_

_ Hermione smiled, a light roll of her eyes accompanying it. "Scorpius, let me tell you something- -"She let the fabric of the dress flow away from her fingers, watching the ends touch the marbled tile of the Malfoy sitting room. "I would go back in time and take the torture curse a thousand more times if that meant I could see my Rose happy. Nothing that happened years ago before either of you, matters. It no longer matters...What _does_ matter is that your family has treated my daughter, my son, nieces and nephews with hospitality. "_

_ Scorpius let a smile appear on his glowing face, staring at the woman who had given the world the precious gift of Rose. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, for always accepting me despite those painful memories of war. Thank you, for giving me a chance to get to know your entire family without a retort of what happened here."_

_ "You make her happy, Scorpius." Hermione said, taking a deep inhale and letting the flashes of light fade from her memory; a memory that was too long ago. "You make my daughter so happy, that the past between your family and I doesn't matter. And, I'm glad it's you that makes her shine."_

_ Scorpius grinned, opening the door wider for Mrs. Weasley. "I'd wish Mister Weasley thought the same way."_

_ "Oh, darling, no- -"The woman laughed, letting herself pass the boy. "You've taken Ron's joy, you're lucky he has let you live this long."_

_ "I suppose I should make it up to him one day." Scorpius commented as he left the living room with his future mother-in-law. _

"You are not the favorite!" Ron Weasley bellowed, his clutch growing hard on his own glass of Fire-Whiskey.

"- - Don't you two think it's a bit early to be drinking?" I asked, stepping in before my father could comment on the redheads' shout; giving another excuse for their pointless argument to last longer. "The family hasn't even finished cooking and you two have already downed an entire bottle."

"Don't judge us, boy." Mister Weasley retorted, finding his Fire-Whiskey tastier as he threw me a smirk. "We have been doing this for years, it's our tradition, right, mate?"

Dads' eyes narrowed, his expression looking a little reluctant as his fading blonde-hair glowed orange from the fire burning next to him. "Right, Ron. This is our tradition, son, so if you please." He motioned with his hand for me to bugger off.  
"A tradition?" I huffed, stopping in front of the redhead that stood out from the other two men. "You two have started an _alcoholic_ problem over the years."

"Not true- -"My father frowned, refilling his glass as the exquisite liquid was touching the end of his glass dangerously low. "We just find that we can coexist this way better than when we have all of our senses."

"Couldn't have lasted this long, Malfoy, if your father hadn't been the one buying the Fire-Whiskey all these years."

"Hermione will be coming in soon, she's going to hex you again, Mister Weasley." I sighed at the elder man. "And you, dad, mum's warned you about drinking with Mister Weasley before the sun has even set."

"The point here, Scorpius, is _her_- -"My father pointed a finger at the redhead in front of me. "You've been keeping her in a cage for too long, son. Set her free!"

"Like that's ever going to bloody happen..."The redhead mumbled underneath her breath.

I frowned as Ron shouted a 'Never!You'll send it all down the toilet if you do!.' I had known that the moment since the day had began, signaling thirteen years of life, that I was going to regret ever throwing this damn party in the first place. "_Athena_."

As soon as the name was said with a strict tone, the redhead spun around to face me. Her face was a milky-white, light freckles decorating across her nose and slightly on her rosy cheeks. Her features as sharp as Draco Malfoy's, but soft in an adoring way. She smiled crookedly at me, pushing her red hair behind her ear as she noticed my frown. "Sorry, daddy."

"What's this all about, anyway?" I asked, looking at my daughter with withering anger as her innocent brown-eyes melted it away. "What has your grandfathers fighting so early?"

"I was having a conversation with Sidney about something when Granddad Ron and Draco started listening in and started their discussion. I have nothing to do with this, daddy, honest."

"Dad?" I raised my eyebrow, looking towards my father now as he looked at his glass curiously, trying to blend in with the background. "What did you nose into now?"

"Weasley's the one that went mental and I'm the one supporting this, mind you. So, if you're going to start scowling, aim it at your father-in-law _not_ me." Draco snapped, clanking the ice cubes together.

"She's growing up too bloody fast!" Mister Weasley hissed before I could even ask him; making Athena half chuckle and half glare at her grandfathers' reaction. "Last time I recalled, she was playing with dolls and helping 'Mione plant flowers in our garden, and now she's leaving home!"

"It's my thirteenth birthday- -"Athena interrupted, her hands on her hips. "And I'm not leaving home, Granddad, I just agreed to stay with Sidney at Aunt Molly's for the weekend."

Ron shook his head, waving his finger at his granddaughter. "She's rebelling, Scorpius! Rose did the exact thing at Athena's age. _No, no._ Not letting it happen."

"I want to get my ears pierced!"My daughter looked incredulously at me, her arms shooting up in the air. "How is that rebelling? Violet is younger than me, and Aunt Lily let her peirce her nose last year!"

"- -And Harry practically murdered both of them!" Mister Weasley interjected again. "Can't you remember what your great Grandmum Molly did to Violet? That girl was lucky mum left her with her entire nose that day."

Groaning Athena turned to me, giving me a pleading look as her grandfather clucked his tongue in a disapproving manner. "Dad- -"She crossed her arms angrily over her chest, looking exactly as all the other Weasley female descendants did when they are incredibly infuriated. "Can't you get _both_ of them to nose off? I haven't even began doing anything and they are already parenting me as if I sneaked a boy into the house without permission!"

"_Boys_?" This time it was my father who blurted, choking on his Fire-Whiskey as the mental picture that Athena painted settled inside of our heads. "She's mental, Scorpius! Completely out of control!"

"I knew it! I knew it!" Mister Weasley added, agreeing with my father as both of them frowned deeper at their granddaughter. "I knew she was getting too friendly with that Layton Thomas. I told Luna to keep her bloody grandson away from my little 'Thena."

The redheads' face turned into more of a shock. "Layton is _ten_!"

"That bastard."My father scowled, drinking into his glass.

"Oh, Merlin, you two are unbelievable!"Athena growled, dropping her arms as her mothers' inherited genetic-fury kicked in. "You are worse than Uncle Louis on a good day."

"Athena- -"Standing up quickly from his chair, Ron removed every evidence of his prior rambling and accusations. "I love you, you little devil."

_Stomp. Stomp. _"Argh- -"The girl huffed, stomping her foot once more on the marbled floor as she headed for the doors. "I love you too, Granddad."

Smirking widely, my father-in-law lowered himself back down on his chair as his granddaughter disappeared. "Correction, Malfoy, _I_ am the favorite. The ruddy girl was named after me."

Smiling dimly at my glaring father, I picked up a glass of Fire-Whiskey. "Cheers." I muttered.

I guess I've made it up to Ron Weasley already for taking his precious Rose from him - - We now had Athena Ronnie Malfoy in our lives.

**X**

_It was a beautiful sunny day - where the sun was set high in the sky and it brought a few puffy clouds to serve as shade for some. It glowed beautifully, but dimly in the sky as it warmed the exposed skin of those who had revealed some of theirs. _

_ Everything around was a pure white color, a color that made everything seem so at peace. Making the giant garden look like a serene place; where one could sit and breathe in the clean oxygen that the evergreen plants gave out. _

_ There was two great sections of white chairs, both of them separated by thick path of grass covered in white rose petals. Acting like a map that led to the large canopy made of white marble that stood in front of the garden; a decoration of lilac flowers sprinkled in the mix of white._

_ The people on either side of the seats turned; their eyes staring at two little girls in pastel-purple dresses. A white basket in one of their hands, watching them throw the containing lilac petals inside of it with a free hand. Aw's were given to Glorie Lupin and Bliss Potter for their roles of flower-girls, making them smile more proudly as they wobbled their tiny figures towards the section of females that stood on the left side of the canopy._

_ Light music - that was created by enchanted harps - started off softly as everyone rose from their seats, exiting the adorned grand doors of the Malfoy Manor came the person they had all been waiting for. The person that had every one of them eager to see, the person that had a brunette woman in the front row dripping out tears, and the person that had a blonde man hyperventilating as his heart pounded in his chest from the nerves._

_The person they were all waiting for: Rose Weasley._

"Well, we promised we were going to keep the secret, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but we didn't expect it to become such a problem either."

"So what do we do?"

"You stop speaking out loud, for one- -"Smiling at the huddled group of girls, I made my presence known as I entered the grand kitchen of Malfoy Manor. Carrying a tray of empty goblets that should have been refilled by the group, but had been clearly neglected. "Your family is dehydrating out there, you know?"

"Sorry, Aunt Rose- -"Biting her lip nervously, Sidney cleared her throat from her seat on top of the kitchen counter. "We've got distracted for a bit."

"It's been an hour." I informed the group of developing teen girls.

"Don't be mad, Aunt Rose- -"Bliss spoke, her expression fading from the sadden look she had when I had first walked in; making it appear as if her emerald eyes did not even know what glistening tears were. "I distracted Sid and Glorie."

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked, not liking the wretched stare on James's daughters' face. "You three have been huddled together since you arrived, and unless your cousins do not mean anything anymore, I'm assuming there's trouble by the distance you lot are keeping."

_ Bang. _"There's always trouble with these bloody witches- -"

"Oh, god, who let you escape from your cage, you monster."Glorie snapped, her stare focusing on the boy who hand dropped a tray of empty dishes on the table; startling them before they got a chance to even come up with a proper lie to answer my question.

"- -Your mother."

I frowned, looking skeptically at the blonde boy as he stared tauntingly at the girl that resembled Victoire to great depths. "Lynx!"

_After the walk that had taken ages for some and flew by to others, Ron Weasley gripped the hand of his daughter as they arrived at the garden-alter. "I love you so much, my Rosie." He whispered to her, trying his hardest to keep his blue-eyes from letting his traitor sentimental tears from falling. He had known that this day would once come, but never quite so soon. It still felt to him like yesterday when he held her in his arms for the very first time, when she was barely a few minutes old._

_ "I love you too, dad." She laughed lightly, her hazel eyes looking deep into his. "...He really makes me happy, you know?" She added in a whisper, leaning in to give him a hug. _

_ "I know..."Clearing his throat, Ron pulled away from his daughters' embrace and lifted one of her hands. Directing it towards the blonde wizard waiting impatiently on his right. "Take good care of her, boy. I've let you live this long, but don't think I won't hesitate to murder you if she suffers. Remember, I _can_ lock you up in Azkaban without anyone knowing what happened to you. Got it?"_

_ "Dad- -"Rose glared, feeling that sudden anger fade as she felt her fathers' warm fingers disappearing from her hand._

_ "Thank you, Mister Weasley." Scorpius Malfoy replied, a smile on his face as he intertwined his fingers with his beloved Rose._

_ Ron nodded stiffly, and took cautious steps back; meeting Hermione at his place in the front row. _

_ "She loves him, Ronald."His wife sighed, knowing exactly the thoughts circling in his head as their daughter approached the former Minister of Magic at the very front._

_ "I know, 'Mione."He said, his eyes focusing ahead instead of continuing on._

_ He _knew_ that the Malfoy boy was his Rose's entire happiness - but that's not why it was so difficult for him to let go. It wasn't because he still lived in years past when it was as common as eating an earwax-flavored Bertie Botts Every-Flavored Bean as it was to loath the Malfoys. It was because, once upon a time ago, Rose Weasley used to have only one man in her heart. She used to only say that the most important man in her life was her daddy - and now her father was giving his place up to Scorpius Malfoy._

_ But by the sparkling in her eyes, he was going to have to live with that._

"Don't be rude, Lynx." I scolded, folding my arms after I lowered the goblets. "You're going to end up cursed again, and this time I will not intervene."

"Pffft. I can take them, mum- - "Lynx snorted, eyeing his cousins as if they were three dead flobberworms. "Just because they've got manicured nails and curled hair, they act like they are untouchable."

"First of all, Lynx, my hair is naturally curly- -"Bliss narrowed her eyes at my fourteen year-old son, tossing her dark waves behind her back. "Thank you very much. And, secondly, my manicured nails can scratch off that face of yours."

Lynx snorted, rolling his eyes again. "_Please_."

"- - Oh, no. He's doing it again, isn't he?"

"- -For Merlin's saggy left leg, Lynx, not again!"

"- - Mate, come on, not the girls. They don't play fair! If you're itching for a duel you've got me ready to curse you back to yesterday."

"Who in their right mind will duel _you_? Your wand doesn't even properly work- -"Entering the kitchen came four of the new additions to the giant Weasley/Potter clan. "You still end up blowing up anything in sight when you try using _Lumos_."

"That's not true!"Andres hissed defensively, shoving Alexa back a step as Lily's kids laughed together.

"Of course it isn't- -"Alexa retorted, pushing the Zabini heir a step back; more roughly than he had done to her. "I forget you also kill owls as a pass-time, as well."

"It was not my fault!"Andres shouted, turning towards Bliss who had gasped from the comment. "You know I didn't kill Snowball on purpose, Bliss! He got in the way!"

Bliss dropped her jaw dramatically. "It was a _her_, you murderer!"

"So many victims, Bliss, he can't even distinguish them anymore."Logan chuckled, slapping Andres in the back jokingly as he looked ready to combust. "Ease up, mate, it's just a joke."

"You're going to end up scarring him for life that he is going to end up a Squib- -"Violet commented, frowning at her brother.

"Anyway- -"Jumping off of the counter, Sid grabbed Bliss and Glorie by one of their arms. "Shouldn't we be out and enjoying the Malfoys garden in this joyous celebration?"

"Pathetic. Running away from a duel- -"

"Oh, give it a rest, Lynx." I sighed, raising my hand up at him to stop him from leaving his great grandmothers' kitchen. "Refill the goblets, son, and bring them outside. Merlin knows that if your Grandmum Molly starts fuming about the lack of drinks, we are never going to live it down."

"But why do _I_ have to do it?" Lynx complained, staring at the large amount of glasses he had to refill with Pumpkin Juice. "Sidney was the one who was to play waiter!"

"Do it, Lynx." I ordered, eyeing him the same way my mother used to do with me whenever she was trying to be parental. "Maybe this way you steam off some energy and stop picking fights with your cousins."

"B-But..."His silver eyes turned towards the goblets again, and after a moment he sighed in defeat. "The muggle-way, right?"

Smiling, I leaned down and pressed a kiss on his pale forehead. "The muggle-way, darling."

_"- -Beloved children of Merlin, we are gathered here in the sight of all that is magical and binding, to join together this Wizard and this Witch; to bond their souls for the rest of their lives. "_

_A deep silence had taken the grand garden of Malfoy Manor, all of the guest and family paying perfect attention as Kingsley Shacklebolt - previous Minister of Magic and old family friend - began to recite the lines that he had learned when he was previously in office; the same lines he had used to wed Harry Potter and Ginerva Weasley, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and even Teddy Lupin and Victorie Weasley. _

_Rose connected her eyes with her two Maid of Honors, Emily and Nia. Both of them smiled at the redheaded bride with a deep look of warmth, love, and happiness. They knew perfectly well that this was Rose's dream come true; that that was the exact spot she had been dreaming for years she was in with Scorpius._

_ It was her personal paradise - her heaven._

_ "This ceremony is an honorable commitment granted by our great ancestors, established by Merlin to join and create a whole couple from his descendants, signifying to the world that the mystical union that is between two very different souls is not easy, but it a beautiful thing once it is accomplished. Giving them the responsibility and the joy of extending the legacy that runs in our very veins." Kingsley rose his dark palms in the air, looking at the young couple in front of him._

_ At a couple that was marking history, a Weasley and a Malfoy joining together._

_ "- - Scorpius Malfoy, under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept this Witch to be your wife?To love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; forsaking all others as long as your heart beats?"_

_Without waiting another millisecond to respond, Scorpius squeezed Rose's fingers and nodded his head."Yes, I do."_

_ "Rose Weasley, under the sacred testament that is the Ministry, do you accept this Wizard to be your husband, to bond and join your soul?To take this wizard to be eternally yours, to accept his soul, to magically bind you two through his accomplishments, his failures, his health, his sickness, his joy, his anger, his everything, for the rest of your days?"_

_ A thousand of emotions rushed through the redheads' system, invading everything from her thoughts to the tips of her toes. She felt her entire body tingling, her heart sprouting wings and making them flutter inside of her chest._

_ She had always known that she was in love with Scorpius Malfoy; she had always known that he was the closest thing she was going to get to bliss. He had marked her entire life with his essence, and although long ago he had accidentally broken her heart, she knew that everything worked out the way it was meant to._

_ Because she knew that it was where she had to be; _who_ she had to be with. It was in her destiny._

_ "I do." She replied to the Minister, tears blinding her vision as she blinked them away._

_ Kingsley smiled and raised his hands higher. " I declare you two bonded for life, blessed in this sacred union. I give you Scorpius and Rose Malfoy!"_

_ An earsplitting cheer broke through the air, claps and whistles so loud, but that didn't distract Scorpius from reeling his new wife in._

_ He stared at her profoundly, letting her hazel wash over his gray. "I love you, Rose." _

_ And he kissed her, because whatever was the response she was going to give him, Scorpius knew it by heart already. He knew that her heart was always going to beat along with his._

Cling.

Cling.

Cling.

"Alright, alright, you lot- -"Tapping a silver spoon onto a glass goblet, Aunt Ginny called the attention of everyone around. "The lunch has been spectacular; we can certainly say that Rose has picked up some tricks from Molly and Narcissa."

"- -Maybe she had help from the house-elf!"

"Yeah, this tasted like Hogwarts food!"Freddie added to Louis's commented, both of my thickheaded cousins chuckling together as I frowned at them.

"Dad, shut it." Slapping her hand against Louis's head, Kendra turned her attention back to the fiery redhead that had taken command over the family since Grandmum Molly passed on her reign and decided to retire to enjoy her new great grandchildren.

"Silenced by a thirteen year-old, mate, _really_?" Freddie scoffed. "First Coral and now little Kendra? It's a surprise Dom has let you enjoy todays' festivity without torturing your fairy-ass."

"- -Dad!" Turning around hastily, Theodore frowned at Freddie. "_Shh_."

"First Evanna, then the twins, and now _Theo_?" Louis snickered evilly, punching our cousin on the arm as he turned back to face Aunt Ginny.

"We are here to celebrate Athena's birthday; a mark to her new teenage years." The redhead continued, smiling beautifully at my flushed-face daughter. "And so, her cousins and brother have decided to take it on from here."

Athena turned redder, and I laughed loudly. (Oh, she didn't know what was in stored. Even I was slightly scared.)

One by one the fourth generation to our family stood: Dustin,Bliss, Glorie, Sidney, Angelique, Riley and Rory, Orion, Andres, Lynx, Neo and Alex, Elinor, Kendra, Violet, Devon, and Theodore.

"Mummy, I want to go - -"Harriet sniffled, pulling on Emily's hand as her older sister and brother stood side by side at the front of the garden.

"I want to go too- -"Ethan chirped in, nodding his head with his sister.

"Why can't we go- -"Elliott frowned, looking up at his parents as Harriet cried on James's lap. "We are seven, are we not? We _are_ old enough to be a part of the plan!"

"Harry, please don't cry, sweetie." Emily cooed, stretching her hand to pat her daughters' dark hair. "Come on, you three know what happens every time you try helping."

James nodded in agreement with his wife, rubbing small circles on Harriet's back. "Besides, you don't have to be a part of anything. You three have each other, the party is at wherever _you_ are!"

"Don't take us as fools- -"Elliott, one-third of the Potter triplets, scowled at his father; crossing his arms as he turned around on his seat to glare at the people at front.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Athena. Happy Birthday to you!" Clapping and singing along with each other, Dustin and Orion wheeled a giant cake out into the garden. Large candles decorating all around as a banner reading 'ATHENA ROCKS YOUR SOCKS!' floated on top of the cake. Streamers of different colors flying around with clear bubbles as Bliss and Angelique _Accio_'d a massive birthday card.

"This is it?" Athena breathed, raising her eyebrows at her cousins as Lynx called for her to join them up at front. "Really?" She stared suspiciously. "No fireworks, no Peruvian Powder, no screaming mandrakes?"

Lynx rolled his eyes at his younger sister. "No, Athena. It's your birthday, no hoax. Promise."

_ Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Lynx!" Athena shouted, her cake bursting into pieces of flying icing as soon as she had approached it.

"Oi! I baked that for hours!" Violet yelled, staring at her hard work scattered all around the Malfoy garden.

"It wasn't me!"Lynx bellowed, shaking his blonde hair rapidly as all the girls started frowning at him. "Honest! It wasn't - Theo, Andres, Logan?"

"Don't drag us into this - -"Logan huffed, walking back to his seat next to his father. "This is your mess, cousin." Liam nodded his head along with his son, turning towards Narcissa who sat giggling lightly along with Grandmum Molly.

"Dustin? Orion?"

Smirking, Neo picked up one of the firecrackers that had exploded out of Athena's cake. "Word of advise, Lynx, _run_."

"Mum!"Lynx shouted, running as fast as his legs would allow him as Bliss started the charge after my son.

"- -Should we help?" Appearing right beside me, silver eyes looked at me for a comment as Lynx was heard screaming a few yards away.

"He is part Weasley, Scorpius..."Turning myself to an angle, I reached to grab my husbands' hand. "There is no helping him."

"I always pictured it like this, Rose."He whispered, leaning closer to me as Louis shouted 'Nobody help him!' as Parker was already standing up to assist my son. "Remember? That night at the Burrow? When we first got together?"

I smiled, the memory rushing in. "When you first said you wanted me to be your wife."

"No, I said I knew you _would_ be my wife- -"He muttered, lifting a finger up to my face. "The rest has fallen into place."

"I love you, Scorpius."

"Forever." He nodded, closing the space and pressing his lips onto mine.

There was paradise - a shinning field filled with amazing colors that warmed my entire life. There was happiness in every word that I had left unspoken when I had been silenced by Scorpius's lips; there was peace in every warm embrace he would wrap me in. There was joy in his part of creation that gave us Lynx and Athena, there was calm whenever his eyes were shine beautifully into mine.

There was forever in everyday - heaven could wait for an eternity. I was already in my sanctuary, in my holy place beside Scorpius Malfoy.

This _was_ paradise; exactly where I was destined to be.

* * *

**AN: THE E N D! :)**

**Whooooooooooo! Cheers everyone! Lol. Took me quite the while to figure out what I wanted to do with this final chapter, so...if**

**it isnt as good, my apologies. **

**Anyway, there you have it. **

**Click next chapter to find out new information!**

**And thanks for sticking with me to the very end, guys. Love you lots!333  
**


	46. AN:

**Welcome! **

** The Guide to the Fourth Generation.**

**

* * *

**

**James Potter and Emily Taylor:**

**- **Ginevra Bliss Potter

**- **Orion James Potter

**-** Harriet Amelia, Ethan Jadien, and Elliott Jared Potter. (Triplets.)

**Louis Weasley and Coral McLaggen:**

-Maxim Dominic Weasley

-Kendra Flora Weasley

**Al Potter and Nia Harper:**

-Neo and Alexa Jamie Potter (Twins.)

**Derrick Rowle and Dominique Weasley:**

-Dustin Louis Rowle

-Devon Victoria Rowle

**Freddie Weasley and Evanna Nott:**

-Riley Angela and Rory Georgina Weasley (Twins.)

-Theodore Weasley

**Liam Greengrass and Lily Luna Potter:**

- Logan Alec Greengrass

-Violet Molly Greengrass

**Lorcan Thomas and Lucy Weasley:**

-Elinor Thomas

**Lucas Zabini and Roxanne Weasley:**

-Andres Zabini

**Molly Weasley:**

-Sidney Free Weasley

**Teddy Lupin and Victorie Weasley:**

-Glorie Remy Lupin

-Angelique Dora Lupin

**Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley:**

-Lynx Malfoy

- Athena Ronnie Malfoy.

* * *

**AN: Now, since all of you have been informed of all the new members of the Weasley/Potter clan, I have a few announcements. (Oh, do you like how formal I got? Lol.)**

**First, I'm working on missing moments. So if any of you want to tell me something that you guys would like to know more in depth of what happen then inform me. If not, then I'm skipping this and turning it into something else, but just in case it happens I'll post it separate from "Here We Go Again"**

**Second, I am also going to do a MINI three-qual. It'll be possibly about twelve or fifteen chapters. And as soon as I have the first chapter, because I have done a few that are in the middle, then I will post and let you all know.**

**Third, THANK YOU GUYS!:)**


	47. ATTENTION!

**Attention.**

It has come to my notice, since so many of you have sent me messages asking whilst I remained oblivious, that all of you really liked the sequel I did to this story; and were upset when I deleted what I already had.

Well, first off, I'm sorry?

I deleted it because I really wasn't happy where with it was going, then I was missing my inspiration write and finish it, and all that writers-block. But since so many of you have asked me to upload it again, I find myself again enthralled with it. So I am redoing it, and retouching the storyline I already had in mind.

So the story is now called **'Hometown Glory'**, and the first chapter is up now.


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